Everything Has Changed
by Kayson3259
Summary: Sequel to "Begin Again". Spencer and Toby have started a relationship and are trying to figure out the prospect of beginning a life together. But when Spencer's ex-fiancée comes back, how will he change the dynamic if their relationship? And there's always the problem of Toby's ex-girlfriend...
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note: **__I'm so glad that you, whoever is reading, has decided to continue this story with me. _

_This story, like my last story, is inspired by a Taylor Swift song, but this one is based off her duet with Ed Sheeran, entitled "Everything Has Changed". Needless to say, everything in this AU has changed. _

_This story is also a lot fluffier than Begin Again, being that there was like no fluff in that one at all. But I assure you that things won't be easy. And I'm sorry, you won't be seeing Spoby marriage and babies right away. Hopefully sometime, because who doesn't love Spoby marriage and babies?_

_Without further ado, here is the prologue. _

* * *

**Prologue**

Spencer was no stranger to change. That much was true.

So often before in her life, she found it unwelcome. She liked routine. She liked knowing where and how things were supposed to be. She liked control. She didn't like surprises.

But life was full of surprises. She just wasn't sure what she was supposed to make of this one.

Wasn't this what she should've been expecting? It was what her friends had been hoping and wishing and praying for for months, almost a year. Secretly, she believed that this was what she was hoping for, too.

But something about this felt so wrong inside. Something felt bad about saying yes. Some part of her felt guilty. She could no longer tell whether it was the drama with her ex-fiancé, or that with his meddling, conniving ex-girlfriend. She didn't know if it was because of her own muddled feelings.

God, she hoped that it wasn't the last one.

She knew she loved him more than anything, more than everything in the world. She loved him more than she ever loved anyone in the world. She couldn't lose him. So saying yes was only natural, right? Right?

She had no idea what to say to him. She wanted to say yes, but there was that omnipresent fear which struck her and she knew all too well. It made her sick to her stomach.

She ran away from him, quickly throwing up. She wasn't sure whether or not it was because of her own nerves, or because of the pressure from another secret she was keeping under wraps.

God, she hoped that it wasn't the last one.

* * *

_So, like I mentioned before, I'm starting the ninth grade very soon, so I will likely not be able to update as much as I did this past summer with Begin Again._

_Also, I feel as though this should be said before I post Chapter One, but the format of this story is similar to Begin Again. The prologue takes place in the middle of the story. Chapter One will pick up right where the epilogue of Begin Again left off. _

_I have chapter one already written and I think you will enjoy it very much. It's straight up fluff, since I don't think you'll see too much of it during the course of this story until about part three, so I wanted to offer some relief._

_So I'm going to update when I get the chance and school gives me the chance to. But I at least hope to see some friendly, familiar faces before I put up Chapter One! __**-Kayson**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: **__Did someone order Chapter One with extra fluffy Spoby?_

_I'm so cheesy, but you guys are going to love me after this chapter. _

_I hope._

* * *

**Chapter One**

Spencer laughed as Toby dragged her down the hall to their room. They were both wearing the biggest smiles on their faces.

As soon as they were both in the room, Spencer tossed her clutch onto the bed, and felt her lips press onto Toby's in an instant. She involuntarily moaned as she felt her back press against the door, shutting it. Her heart raced as she felt Toby's hand on her cheek, the other pressed against the door, trapping her right in front of him.

"Give me five minutes?" she asked, biting her lip.

Though Toby didn't want to, it was impossible to resist anything Spencer had to say. He sighed and nodded. "Don't keep me waiting too long, Spence," he teased.

She watched him walk into the main of the room, her legs going numb. She wasn't sure what exactly it was…maybe his flirty nature, or how he called her "Spence", or just how he was so…Toby. She let out a tiny sigh as she walked into the bathroom, removing her makeup and letting her hair out of its high ponytail. Even without her makeup, she felt so beautiful. It was likely because of Toby. She ran the brush through her hair, then brushing her teeth before she walked back out. Before she even got a second to walk into the room, she felt herself being lifted off the ground and tossed over Toby's shoulder. She yelped, but couldn't contain her laughter.

"What was that?" she asked through her laughter.

"You were taking _way _too long," he teased.

She pulled him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him closer to her. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" she asked teasingly, her lips fractions of a centimeter away from his.

"Maybe. But I think you have some making up to do."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, leaning back onto the bed and kissing him. As she went back for a second round of kisses, Toby turned his head so she ended up kissing him on the cheek. She frowned.

"Don't you want me?" she asked innocently, her bottom lip sticking out.

He laughed at how cute Spencer looked at that moment. He touched her cheek gently with his thumb. "Of course, I want you."

Spencer felt her heart flutter a little in her chest.

"But are you sure you're ready?" he asked with concern.

She paused for a moment before nodding. She wrapped her arms around his neck, getting very close to his face again. "Remember what I told you seven months ago? After we played that game of Scrabble in Aria's apartment, babysitting Cassidy? About how I wanted you to help me forget about Andrew and all that crap I had to deal with? I want you to erase all the pain," she said, leaning into a kiss.

"Well, I think that might have been those six or seven glasses of wine you had talking," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm trying so hard to be romantic. You are not helping right now," she responded with a playful smile.

"Are you sure, Spencer?" Toby asked again.

She nodded. "I've never been surer about anything. I want you to make love to me, Toby," she said softly. Her large brown eyes were filled with emotion, pleading. "Please, Toby. I want to be with you in every which way."

For a moment, Toby felt bad that Spencer felt as though she had to beg him for this. He was extremely attracted to her. She was gorgeous. He met her lips in response. He pulled away before it could grow heated, looking her in the eyes. "I don't have anything," he informed her.

"I'm on the pill," she insisted. She pulled him closer.

_Since when is she on the pill? _She continued to kiss him. He couldn't recall a single instance which he ever saw Spencer taking birth control, and he had stayed over her apartment a lot in the last few weeks.

Toby's thoughts were silenced as Spencer kissed him more passionately, as though she was demanding something. Spencer smirked as she pulled away from him.

"What? Are you nervous someone's going to barge in? Lucky for us, Hanna isn't here, and Emily is hardly the type. And I chained the door," she teased before kissing him again. Her smirk faded. "Or do you not want to be with me?"

He shook his head incessantly. "No. I would love to be with you in that way," he responded, running his hand up her arm. "I don't want you to regret it afterwards," he insisted.

She scoffed. "Please. I've been dreaming about it since we started having sleepovers. Do you know how tempting it is when you're lying down next to me in only your boxers and I'm lying down next to you in only your shirts?" she questioned. "I've been—"

She was cut off by a deep, passionate kiss from Toby. She began running her fingers through his hair.

"You talk way too much sometimes, Spencer," he insisted before kissing her again.

She pulled away this time. "Did I mention that you make me feel stupid sometimes, I'm so love struck?"

He nodded before kissing her again. "All the time. Not as much as I mention how gorgeous you are. Spencer, you're so beautiful."

"Okay, Romeo, could you please just shut up and kiss me?" she demanded playfully.

He nodded, happy to comply with her demands. She pushed her back down into the large, plush pillows adorning the King-sized bed while kissing her. Her hand travelled down to the hem of his shirt, teasing him slowly as she touched his side so gently, pushing his dress shirt up and untucking it. His hands roamed from her cheek down the zipper, but not unzipping the dress.

"You're such a tease."

"So are you, Juliet."

She rolled her eyes and continued to kiss him. She unbuttoned his shirt quickly, desperate for the feel of his skin against hers. He proceeded to unzip the back of her dress, touching the bare skin on her back. She shivered at the contact. She felt chills go from his fingertips up and down her spine. The chills only increased as he began to place tender kisses from her jaw to her earlobe to the base of her neck. She bit her lip, trying to avoid any embarrassing moans or involuntary whimpers. She tried to steady her unstable hands so she could remove his shirt. She kissed him as she finally tossed it aside. She also began to pull up his wife beater (and was so mesmerized by him that she didn't even make a mental note to question that name). Toby slowly pulled off her dress and tossed it mindlessly on the floor. Spencer watched the red chiffon land on the floor beside his white dress shirt and added his undershirt to it. Toby watched her examine it.

Spencer pecked him sweetly on the lips. She played with his hands; they were large in hers.

It was as though Toby could read her mind. She was almost asking him to touch her, to come closer. He pressed his lips against hers, holding her closer to him. Spencer's hands travelled down to the waist of his pants, unbuckling his belt in haste. Toby practically kicked off his pants. Spencer slid under the sheets. She smirked, as if she were daring him to come closer.

Toby smiled and got under the sheets with Spencer. He had one hand on her waist, the other playing with the strap of her bra. She was wearing a black and red lace bra and black lace boyshorts. Toby was wearing black boxers.

Toby couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she looked. She almost looked like an angel, wrapped in white sheets. Her hair was spilling out onto the bed, and she was looking at him with lust-filled brown eyes. Her lips were stained red from the bright lipstick she was wearing that day. Her eyelashes looked long, and Toby's heart swelled at her brilliant smile that she was using _on him. _

He was broken out of his reverie by Spencer pulling him by the waistband of his boxers. She brought him closer to her. Her hands were on either side of his face, her thumb stroking his cheekbone. "Make love to me, Toby," she repeated, her voice soft, yet seductive in an odd way. She bit her lip.

Toby pulled her closer to him, kissing her with as much fervor and love as he could muster.

Spencer laughed when the kiss was over, inching away from him for a second, so they were only connected by their hands, which were still intertwined together. "Call me crazy, but I'd say that you're happy to see me," she teased.

Toby was glad that it was somewhat dark in their room, since he felt a bit of color rise to his cheeks. He came up with a witty comeback, a trait of Spencer's that had rubbed off on him in the last months they were dating. "Just for that, Spencer Hastings, I'll get you back," he threatened.

She shook her head, kissing him aggressively. He ran his fingers roughly through her chocolate-colored curls, and she relished the feel of his bare skin making contact against hers. She clung onto him as he kissed her jaw. Her lips were right next to his ear.

"Toby…I'm ready," she whispered quietly.

* * *

Spencer rolled over, the light blinding her as she opened her eyes. She sighed, then groaned at the brightness. She rolled back over, finally realizing that Toby was grasping onto her. Their legs were intertwined, both of them completely naked and covered only by the snow-white sheets on the bed. She snuggled back into his embrace, liking the contact and the warmth. She could feel his hot skin on hers, and she smiled.

The smile faded when she felt him move. She looked up, seeing Toby (unfortunately in his boxers now) walk across the room to get something. She frowned at the loss of contact.

She closed her eyes again, trying to find some sleep, but couldn't. Her eyes finally fluttered open when she began to hear clicks. After hearing three or four, she looked up. Toby was standing there, a grin on his face, as he held up his camera to take picture of Spencer. She sat up abruptly, pulling the sheets over her chest.

"Toby! What are you doing?"

Ever since Spencer had gotten Toby a vintage camera for his birthday a month ago, he had obsessively been taking pictures of his favorite subject—her. He took pictures of her whenever given the opportunity.

"Just taking pictures of the most beautiful subject ever," he teased as he took another picture. She rolled her eyes.

"Toby! I haven't even brushed my hair yet. I'm naked. I think in the eyes of the law, this could be considered pornography." Spencer knew this was likely a lie, but was hoping that he bought it.

He shook his head, but placed his camera down.

"Why did you get up this morning? I miss lying next to you," Spencer complained with a pout as she reached over and put Toby's dress shirt from the previous night onto her small figure.

"This is going to sound really weird, but you look really good in my shirt," he commented flirtatiously.

Spencer allowed Toby to pull her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest.

"I need to tell you something, Toby," she said, her eyes closing as she listened to his heartbeat.

He was the slightest bit concerned, but simply asked, "What?"

"I love you, so, so much," she said. It was barely audible, like a faint whisper. Toby's heart melted a little. He already knew he could be hers, forever.

Toby's thumb made circles on the small of Spencer's back. "My heart is already yours, Spence," he replied, almost making a promise to her. "It will be, forever," he promised.

She smiled as she hugged him. "Thank you for last night. You were gentle and…it was amazing," she said, a blush creeping onto her face.

He brushed some stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I like waking up to you in my arms. Which is why I have to ask you something, Spencer," he began seriously. Spencer began to feel little butterflies. "I know it may be kind of soon and we've only been dating for seven months, but…will you move in with me?" he asked.

Spencer was a little taken aback. That wasn't what she was expecting to hear from him. She was excited. Why was she so tongue-tied? She smiled. "I want to wake up every morning to your face and your blue eyes," she answered. She kissed him, bringing them both down on the pillows. One peck turned into two or three gentle kisses. Toby's phone rang and Spencer groaned.

"It's probably Tiffany. I made her promise she'd call me as soon as she got to Miami," Toby said before getting up to answer the phone.

Spencer realized something as she watched Toby pace back and forth, speaking to Tiffany. She knew something she didn't know before she met him.

She knew what love felt like.

* * *

_And there you have it. You can tag your review with #SpobySex if this scene was up to your liking. I personally liked it, but I'm a creep._

**_dreamcatch3r: _**_I'm glad that you like this story so far (though the prologue was like barely 400 words, so I don't even know how anyone likes it that much yet), and I'm really glad that the prologue left you wondering. It's supposed to. _

**_Guest (Annabelle): _**_Hey, it's you! I'm so glad you continued with me on this journey and that you like it so far. And really, I should be thanking you and all of my other awesome readers for permitting me to write a sequel._

**_LynnLayne18: _**_I don't know if you've noticed this (I've mentioned it like two or three times only in my "career" here on fanfiction), but I like writing my stories in three parts. And in this story, since I've already blueprinted it, things change between each of the three parts. The beginning of each part is kind of like a fresh start and a new conflict (if that makes any sense), so the song's title symbolizes a lot in this story. _

**_spoby equals awesomeness: _**_aww, thank you. And here's the update! I really hope you liked it (since I think you were kind of adamant that you wanted "it" to happen. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_I don't know...I'm a little nervous about letting down my reviewers. I mean, I consider Begin Again a really big success and I don't want to jinx myself by saying this is going to be bigger and better. I made a lot of tension the last story. But I'll cross my fingers that I can form another good (hopefully interesting) story. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_Hmm...I don't know...Spencer really could've been talking about anyone, I suppose...It could always be Toby she's talking about when she says "ex-fiancé". If time permits me (and my brain), I would like to extend this into a trilogy...that would certainly be an interesting set-up for the third story...hmm..._

_Okay, now that I'm done being a creepster, I have a SERIOUS dilemma. My drama/chorus teacher has been seriously haranguing me about joining the school's production of "Lucky Stiff". I really didn't want to do it, but know I'm kind of interested. But I don't want to spend a bunch of time someplace I ain't appreciated, so I don't know what to do. I mean, I don't really want to sway in the background having the teacher barking at me whilst he's kissing the stars' feet. _

_Ugh, so conflicted! If you have advice, PLEASE give it to me, because callbacks are on Tuesday (for some reason he put me on the callbacks list even though I didn't go to the original audition...I'm that good, lol, jk). But really, I need advice. Someone please help the poor Kayson. __**-The Poor Kayson**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**__ Hey! I know I haven't been back in a while, but I'm working on some personal project (which I hope to make public in the near/distant future) and I have to go back to school next week (boo hoo). I'm glad it seems like some of you guys have found me, and I'm glad you liked the last chapter (not that I'm very surprised). _

_So this chapter is where stuff actually starts. Let the drama unfold. _

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Spencer, how many boxes of shoes do you have? We might just have to go through your Louboutins, and I might just have to steal some," Hanna said as she dropped a box into Toby's apartment, which was definitely big enough for the two of them.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "They're not shoes, Hanna. They're books," she answered.

Hanna groaned. "Right. If it were Aria, they'd probably be shoes. You're the boring one," she commented.

Spencer glared at her, while Caleb walked past, bringing one of Spencer's boxes into Toby's—and soon, Spencer's, as well—bedroom. That was the last of the boxes from Spencer's apartment. All that was left to do was unpack and return the keys from her old apartment to the landlord.

"Hanna, can you help me unpack? I'm guessing that Caleb doesn't want to sift through my clothes," Spencer said, and Caleb immediately flashed a grateful smile.

Hanna groaned. "Spence, what makes you think that I'd want to look through your clothes, either? Some of it is so boring. Your clothing is so anal and refined," she commented.

"Well, on one of my mother's guilt-trips to New York, she went on a shopping spree down Fashion Avenue, and if you help me organize our closet, you can keep a pair of Manolos," Spencer announced, knowing this would work.

Hanna looked her up and down. "Last season or this season?" she asked with her best poker face on.

"This season," Spencer answered with a smirk. "Only the best for Veronica Hastings."

Hanna glared at her. "Fine. But I get any pair of Manolos I want. And if you throw in a Rebecca Minkoff, I will color coordinate yours and Toby's closet," she said, sweetening the deal.

Spencer extended her hand. "Hanna, we have a deal."

Hanna shook it, smirking. "I think that my closet will be looking spruced up tonight."

* * *

"Spencer! How could you put crimson next to maroon when it obviously goes next to carmine?" Hanna questioned as she grabbed a dress from my hand. She sighed as she put it in her proper spot. "Sweetie, I don't know what you'd do without me," she commented. Hanna brushed an unruly strand of blond hair away from her eye, stepping back to examine her work. She smiled at the result. "Consider this my early engagement present for the soon-to-be fiancés. You lovebirds make me sick."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "What is with your obsessive need to put Toby and I together? Why do you want us to get married so much?" she inquired.

"Because there are some couples who once the two people are together, you can tell that you're already in it for the long haul. You and Toby are one of those couples. I personally think that Toby should've done it the second he met you," Hanna said.

Spencer was about to protest when there was a knock on the door. She simply stood there.

"Aren't you going to get it?" Hanna asked.

Spencer snapped out of her little daydream. "Right. This is my apartment now, too," she said. Suddenly, she was a little calmer, simply thinking of him. "This is our apartment," she repeated.

Hanna pushed her out of another mini-daydream by shoving her towards the door. Spencer stumbled as she made her way to the door. She looked through the peephole. She saw a girl with dirty blond-brown hair and blue eyes in front of the door. Hanna looked at her expectantly.

"Who is it?" she asked.

Spencer shrugged, confused herself. "It's a girl."

"Uh-oh," Hanna murmured, already not liking where this is going.

Spencer decided to open up. The girl looked a little surprised to see her.

"Can I help you?" Spencer mustered. She was secretly hoping that if she was in any way connected to Toby, she was a long lost sister or something. _Please don't let it be an ex…or worse…_

"Oh, I must have the wrong apartment. I'm looking for Toby Cavanaugh," she commented.

Spencer nodded slightly. "He lives here. He's not here right now." She tried to figure out what to say next. "Who are you?" she inquired as politely as she could possibly be.

"I've just been looking for him. When he gets back, can you give him this number and tell him that Chanel is back in Rosewood? I've been meaning to talk to him for a long time. I've put it off for too long," the girl said.

Spencer took the number. She nodded slightly, not offering any emotion to this girl. She quickly closed the door.

"Who was she?" Hanna asked.

Spencer shrugged, looking down at the number again. "She said her name is Chanel and she asked me to give Toby her number. She told me to tell him she was back in Rosewood and that she needed to speak to him," she explained.

"Are you going to do it?" Hanna inquired.

"Why shouldn't I?"

Hanna sighed. Spencer was so naïve. "It's probably an ex who wants to get back with Toby! I mean, can you really blame her? He's hot and sweet. And you didn't even _mention_ that you're his _current _girlfriend!" Hanna scolded.

Spencer suddenly began feeling more self-conscious. "I'm not going to keep this from Toby. That'll just cause more trouble. Whatever happens happens," she supposed.

Hanna became softer. "I didn't mean it like that, Spence. If she is an ex, they're exes _for a reason._ Toby probably dumped her ass. Besides, she kind of gave off that bitchy vibe," she assured Spencer.

Still, she was a little unsure of herself.

* * *

Spencer was examining the piece of paper, as if she hoped it would tell her something about this mysterious girl. All that was on the ripped out piece of notebook paper was a phone number, and the name "Chanel".

She began thinking about what she could possibly want from Toby and if she should be concerned. She didn't even hear the door open and someone walk in.

"Spence?"

Spencer broke out of her reverie, looking up at Toby. She smiled when she saw him, getting up off the couch. She hugged him before giving him a kiss.

"I could get used to coming home to you every day," Toby jested.

Spencer smiled. There was still doubt in her mind, going back to that stupid piece of paper. "I could get used to being here all the time," she said, sitting back down on the couch, trying to entice him. She finally just pulled him closer to her. She kissed him again. "I think you should take a shower," she began, before kissing him, and continuing, "and then we can have dinner…and then…well, I should probably stop before I get ahead of myself." She had a smirk on her face, and he knew exactly what she was insinuating.

Toby kissed her once more. "We'll see. I'm going to take a shower now," he informed her. He noticed Spencer was now in the mood for sex _all the time_, ever since their first time together. But he didn't really mind very much.

Spencer watched him go. She still had no idea what to do about the dilemma. She sighed, trying to figure out what to do.

She heard the water come on in the bathroom, and assumed Toby was taking a shower. She walked over near the door. "Toby? I think I'm going to get takeout. What do you want?" she asked.

"Whatever you want, Spencer," he replied.

"Is Thai okay?" she asked.

"That's fine, Spence."

* * *

Spencer walked in to the apartment to see Toby standing in the apartment, faced away from the door, clad in only a towel. It was clear he had just gotten out of the shower. Spencer knew how he liked to take long showers.

She had this urge to rip his towel off right then and there. She put the bag down, certain he hadn't even heard her come in.

Toby jumped when he heard the bag rustle. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand. The piece of paper Chanel—whoever she was—handed her that afternoon.

"Toby?" she asked with concern. She _really _hoped he wasn't angry.

He held the piece of paper up so she could see it. "How did you get this?" he asked. He didn't sound angry or upset. He just sounded…nervous.

"I was here with Hanna sorting through our clothes, putting my things away, and someone knocked on the door. I answered, and it was some girl named Chanel? She said she wanted to see you, and she needed to say something. She wanted me to give you her phone number," Spencer announced.

Toby looked the number over, before he ripped the paper twice.

"Toby?"

Toby sighed, sitting down on the couch. "Chanel is my ex-girlfriend."

Spencer was confused. Supposedly, when she met Toby, he hadn't been in a serious relationship for quite some time. "Ex-girlfriend?" She tried her hardest not to come off as the jealous girlfriend, but was finding it increasingly hard, as she remembered how pretty this girl was…prettier than her.

"She was my girlfriend in college, and we ended it two years ago. I ended it, actually. She was just…pushing me into things I wasn't comfortable with. I didn't want that," he explained.

Spencer nodded, understanding. "I was going to tell you; I swear. I didn't really know how to, but I was going to during dinner, I guess," she said, her voice uncertain.

He nodded. After a moment of thinking, he brought her closer to him. "I don't want to talk about her anymore. I don't need her, and I don't want you to get nervous about this. I already have everything I could've ever wanted," he insisted before he kissed her.

Spencer smiled as she kissed him back. "Now that that's out of the way, you can see how Hanna and I arranged the closet. She insisted on color coordinating it," Spencer told him.

Toby groaned. "I'm scared, Spencer."

Spencer frowned. "Why? I promise, it's not that bad. Hanna isn't nearly as anal about her clothes as I am," she promised. "Besides, now when you step into your closet, you'll remember that I live here now, too," she reminded him.

"How could I forget when I'm already warming up to the idea of waking up to you in my arms every morning and you haven't even spent your first night here?" he questioned, taking her hand as she pulled him towards _their_ room.

She smiled. "Have you forgotten that we've spent _several _nights here together since Tiffany's wedding?" she teased.

"I could never forget that, but this will be your first night _living _here. This is the first night that this is your bedroom, that's your bed, this is your apartment," he reminded her.

"That this is also my closet?" she questioned.

Toby nodded and sighed. "That this is your closet."

"Okay, I think I've done enough teasing. Can I just show you already? It's not that bad; I promise," she repeated for about the zillionth time.

"Just show me, Spencer."

Spencer opened the closet door and turned on the light. Lo and behold, their clothes were separated neatly; Toby's side was on the right, and Spencer's was on the left. Furthermore, Hanna had color coordinated each side. Their shoes were lined up neatly on the closet floor. She even took the liberty of organizing the drawers according to color and article of clothing. Needless to say, Hanna certainly earned those Manolos and that Rebecca Minkoff.

"It's not that bad, Toby," Spencer insisted.

"No, it's just…weird looking at it."

Spencer raised her eyebrow. "Really? I thought it would've been more aesthetically pleasing. I mean, now the color kind of shifts easily from one shade to another—"

Toby cut her off with him shaking his head. "That's not why it's weird. It's…different seeing someone else's clothing in my closet."

Spencer held her breath, biting her lip before he went on. "I like things being different. It's good," he added.

Spencer exhaled a little sigh of relief. "Really? Good, because I was worried that maybe you were having second thoughts and—"

"Spencer?"

She stopped herself. "What?"

"I could never have second thoughts about this. Also, one more thing."

She waited expectantly.

"You talk a lot," he commented teasingly.

She rolled her eyes. "So I've heard. And I babble when I get nervous."

Toby came closer to her. She felt her heartbeat quicken and those ninth grade butterflies come back. "And I happen to get nervous a lot when I'm around you," she commented quickly.

Toby simply kissed her on the lips. "You don't have to," he reminded her quietly.

She nodded, looking down. "I know. But I still do."

He sighed slightly. Before he thought it through, he picked her up and brought her out to the bedroom, placing her on the bed. She looked at him expectantly.

"Was there a reason you had to do that?" she asked.

He shrugged. "No reason. But this room has a bed," he answered. "And beds make…certain tasks a little bit easier."

She smiled. "You sound kind of like me," she teased.

"We've been rubbing off a lot on each other, haven't we?" he asked.

She nodded before kissing him.

* * *

_So um, yup, Toby's ex is trying to get back in his life, and her name is Chanel, 'cause she's a Primadonna. And Spoby's getting a little bit more domestic, which is really cute, but now I'm freaking out because it might ACTUALLY be happening when PLL gets back! I mean, Marlene knew she was going to drive Spobettes crazy when she decided that she would drop that someone (i.e, one of the liars) is moving in with someone! And then someone (I think Keegan) posted a picture of Troian (Spencer) standing in the doorway of Toby's apartment (and that's undeniable) WITH A FREAKING SUITCASE. Let the freaking out commence._

_Calm down, Kayson. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_Oh my god, I was reading your review on my phone and it bleeped out what you said because you said "hard on". This site is a little pervy...I'm pretty sure that's not what you meant! Anyway, thanks for your faith in me, and I'm sure it won't be that bad, but I hate hype. Like, if I say stuff like "Oh mah gosh, the next chapter is AMAYYYYZINGGGG", and people get these high expectations, I don't want to let them down. So from now on...nobody expect anything from me so you can be totally surprised. Kay. _

**_muviri: _**_Thank you! I've tried to make it as continuous as possible, but I almost feel like this is a little foreign. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_Thank you so much. I swear, you are one of my favorite writers on this site, just from that one Spoby story. I just like it so much. _

**_Guest (Annabelle): _**_I'm glad you like the fluff, because I've written fluff about a grand total of ~3 times. I'm always writing angst, so writing fluff is weird for me. I'm happy it didn't suck :)_

**_glitterrain99:_**_ Writing is definitely natural for me. I think you're the writer (I'm sorry, I can't check now as I have no Wi-Fi, and I'll probably forget to check when I post this) who wrote (or is writing) the three-shot about Ezra's, Caleb's, and Toby's daughters. I loved that story! By the way, I think it's total BS that you got a review from someone who says you have to take the story down or your account will be terminated; I've seen multiple stories (like more than half of the Spoby stories I've read) that have lyrics of a song in them and I have NEVER seen any response like that one. Anyway, I think you're a great writer, too (the Caleb part especially made me really happy). If you're not the person who posted that...I'm really sorry for making us both feel pretty awkward. :/_

**_spobettes: _**_Thanks! I know that several people have been waiting for this moment to happen. I'm so happy you liked this chapter (but I really liked it, too)._

**_dreamcatch3r: _**_Yes, it probably is the calm before the storm :) _

**_Spoby101: _**_I LOVE YOU, TOO!_

**_Sunset13: _**_Thank you so much. And I can't get over how much I like your icon. I love the Unholy Trinity (Santana and Quinn are my favs. Santana, Quinn, and Rachel are my favorite characters on Glee...and Kurt). _

**_Note: _**_This is to everyone who responded to me about the school production. I really hate that I asked you, because right after I kind of put it out there, I realized my decision. I don't think I really want to do this. Don't get me wrong, I love musical theater probably about as much (if not more than) as writing, but right now, I don't feel it's the right choice for me. It's something I would like doing if I didn't feel it was time wasted. I have too much going on right now (mentally, emotionally, educationally) to really give my all into it. I'd rather spend my time practicing my music, writing, studying, working on that project (which one day, you will hear about), as opposed to swaying in the background humming show tunes very softly. I realize that really makes me seem like a primadonna (I identify as having a bit of Rachel Berry in me, myself), but know that I would gladly do it if I felt like this was something I really wanted, but it isn't. I honestly don't even know if I'd want to do it if I got a big role. Sorry I made you guys give your two cents, but I guess it's what I've decided. Also, doing that would probably give me little to no time here, and I don't really want to do that to you or to myself._

_Well, wish me good luck, because I need it to deal with school. Is it to much to hope that some people grew up going from middle school to high school? Probably, but I'll cross my fingers anyway. _

_Bye! If I get like seven more reviews (because I know at least seven of you are reading), I'll put up Chapter Three. I'm just so excited to reach a thousand views! I think I'm up to about five hundred, so like half-way there. I think Begin Again has gotten almost twenty-thousand! __**-Kayson**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**__ I'm so glad you're all enjoying domestic Spoby. They're adorable, and hopefully we'll get to see them next season!_

_Okay, just as a warning, this is the chapter I feel the real drama starts. It's a little bit slow at first, but something major happens in this chapter that will likely be referenced back to more than once. _

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Spencer awoke, opening her eyes and seeing Toby smiling, his blue eyes warm. It looked just like her dream, where all she saw were his blue eyes and his warm smile.

It felt like home.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily, her eyes only open halfway.

"Like one in the afternoon?" he asked. "You slept a lot," he added.

Spencer eight months ago would've shot up, cursing about how late her day was beginning.

This Spencer, however, simply sighed. "Well, I guess yesterday really wore me out," she teased.

"What are you doing today?" Toby asked her.

She sighed. "I'm going to meet with Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Tiffany for a girl's night. We'll most likely be pestering Tiffany for details on how her honeymoon was," she explained.

He nodded. "Do you want to have breakfast?"

She glanced at the clock again. "I think I'd prefer lunch."

As they exchanged a laugh, Toby helped her out of bed and into _their _kitchen. Spencer realized she would never, ever tire of using that word.

* * *

"Are you sure you won't come in with me?" Spencer inquired, peeking her head out of their bedroom.

Toby nodded, taking a sip of some of her very strong coffee as he began to draw some more. Spencer pouted as she watched him.

"It's my first time using the shower—"

"Lie," he interrupted, referencing the several times she had used it when she stayed the night.

"Well, I'm scared—"

"Spencer Hastings?" he asked with mock surprise. "_Scared_ of something?"

"No…I don't want to get lonely—"

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Spencer simply glared at him, and walked over to him, clad in only a snow white towel. "Don't make me drop this towel and remind you why you should come and join me," she threatened.

He smiled, taking another sip. "As tempting as that sounds, I really can't, Spence. Maybe later?" he suggested.

"How about definitely later?" she inquired.

He kissed her on the nose. "It's definitely a _maybe_," he promised.

Spencer pouted before going back to their bedroom and grumbling all the way until she was in the shower. Toby sighed. When he heard the water begin to run and heard Spencer's loud humming, he made a move.

He pulled out the pieces of paper he had ripped up. It was Chanel's phone number. He tried to read the digits, which she printed very clearly.

He was fairly certain he had gotten it right when he dialed the number.

"Hello?"

He gulped when he heard her voice. "Hey, Chanel. It's me, Toby."

There was silence. A simple "Oh" left her perfect cupid bow lips.

"You and I need to talk. Are you free tonight?"

* * *

Spencer was the first to arrive at the restaurant she was meeting the girls at. She smiled when Tiffany walked over to her table a mere minute later. The two hugged warmly.

Spencer had grown quite close to Tiffany. Well, it was a given, considering she was one of Toby's best friends and she was his girlfriend. But there was something so honest about her that Spencer really loved.

"Hey. I've missed you. And I've got to say, you and Toby give Toby and Caleb a run for their money in the non-couple category," Spencer joked.

Tiffany laughed. "Are you jealous, Spence?" she inquired.

Spencer nodded. "Completely. I've barely gotten any time from him for myself," she replied mockingly.

"You had your opportunity. You've gotten like a week or so while I was on my honeymoon. I trust that the group gave you guys some alone time?" she inquired.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Like that ever happens. That's a pipe dream. But I do have something to tell you about us."

Tiffany's eyes widened. "Oh my God, where's the ring? How did he ask?" she demanded excitedly.

Spencer shook her head incessantly. "No, no. We're not engaged. But we moved in together while you were away. I moved into his apartment. He asked me after your wedding, by the way," she explained with a blush.

Tiffany smirked. "Where you two finally did it?"

Spencer nudged Tiffany. "You're as bad as Hanna and Caleb! I hope Shane keeps you sane, because you're acting pretty weird to me," she teased.

Out of the corner of her eye, Spencer saw Hanna and Emily walking up to the girls. They both turned to greet the girls.

"Girl, you got so tan! You look great!" Hanna exclaimed. Tiffany smiled in response.

"I hope you had fun," Emily said. "So…what were you guys discussing without us?" she inquired curiously.

Tiffany sighed. "Well, for starters…Spencer told me about how she and Toby finally did it after my wedding—"

Hanna gasped. "Spencer! I didn't know you were the kind of girl to kiss and tell!" she exclaimed.

Spencer shook her head. "I didn't talk about happened—"

"—she just let it slip that it happened. Finally. Spencer, I would've done the boy seven months ago. I mean, have you seen the abs on that boy?" Tiffany asked.

Spencer blushed thinking about it.

Hanna snickered at the sight. "She's blushing!"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "We did not come here to gossip about me, okay? We came here to beat down Tiffany about her honeymoon, remember?"

"We have to wait for Aria," Tiffany insisted.

Finally, the smallest one showed up, sliding next to Spencer, hugging her and greeting Tiffany. "What did I miss?"

"Well, we were discussing Spencer's sexual escapades and how we should be talking about Tiffany, but we're having too much fun making Spencer blush," Emily recapped.

With that, Spencer turned beet red.

"What sexual escapades? She hasn't even done it with Toby. We all know she's a prude," Aria scoffed.

Hanna smirked at Spencer, and Aria figured it out. "Spencer Hastings! You had sex with someone you haven't been seeing for even eight months?" she asked in shock.

Spencer bit her lip. "I feel like we've been dating for longer!"

Hanna's smirk grew. "Longer, my ass. You wanted to screw Toby for so long, and he finally gave in. I don't blame you, Spencer. I've seen him shirtless," she said before taking a swig of her drink.

"Has everyone seen him shirtless except for me?" Aria asked.

The other girls all nodded in unison. Aria suddenly had the urge to see him shirtless and see what all the fuss was about.

"Hey, don't think about it. The boy is mine," Spencer warned.

Aria smiled. "I love it when you get so possessive. Spencer's in love," she sing-songed.

Spencer rolled her eyes. This was certainly going to be a long night. She flagged down the waiter, ordering tequila shots for herself.

* * *

Toby looked around the café, looking for his ex. He found her in a small booth in the corner.

Toby sighed, closing his eyes, and preparing himself for this. He walked over to her. He kept reminding himself internally that he was doing this for Spencer, Spencer, Spencer. He just needed that reminder.

"Toby?" Chanel asked, looking up at him. "I didn't think she'd actually give you my number."

Toby simply sat down across from her. He stared at her without saying anything.

"Was she a friend or something? I saw Hanna with her," she added, trying to make small talk.

Toby sighed. "No. She's my girlfriend. She was moving in with me when you came over. I was at work."

He waited for a reaction from her. Her face fell a little. She looked away from him, looking down. "Oh," she muttered.

"Why did you wait so long to talk to me? Were you expecting something from me?" he demanded.

She shook her head. "No, I wasn't expecting anything. More, I was hoping for something. I didn't mean to break your heart, Toby. And I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for doing that to you. You didn't deserve me pressuring you and making you feel like less a person," she said.

He looked away from her. He needed to look every which way except for at her. "You did hurt me. You can't take it back."

"Toby…you don't have to forget, but you'll eventually have to forgive me," she insisted.

He sighed. "I'm not trying to be difficult, but do you know how hard you're making things for me? It was four years. Four years ago that we broke up. Why have you waited so long? And why are you still hoping that I'll come back to you after you hurt me so much?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just grew up. I realized how much I loved you."

Toby's breath hitched in his throat. "What?"

"I love you, Toby."

* * *

Hanna slung one arm over her while Emily took the other. Tiffany knocked on the door, waiting for Toby to answer, seeing as they were not finding Spencer's keys with her in this state.

Toby opened the door, almost hiding behind it.

"Don't mind us, Tobes. We're just doing you a favor and getting Spencer home in one piece. She decided it'd be a good idea to get chocolate wasted," Hanna explained as she, Emily, and Aria brought her to her bedroom.

As they walked off, Tiffany observed Toby. "Hey, Toby? What's wrong? Why such a long face?" she asked.

"Tiffany, can you stay here? I need to tell you something," he whispered.

She nodded.

* * *

Tiffany took the loose tea and tea strainer out of the Rose Tea she had made for herself. It was Spencer's, but Tiffany got her hooked on it.

"What happened? Why are you so sad?" she asked, taking his hand.

"Did you know Chanel is back in town?" Toby inquired. Tiffany shook her head numbly. "She's back in town, and she came here the other day to see me, but she got Spencer instead. She gave Spencer her phone number, asking her to give it to me. I needed to talk to her, so I talked to her tonight and…"

Tiffany's eyes grew wide. "Toby, don't tell me you did anything," she pleaded.

He shook his head. "No! Tiffany, Chanel told me that she loved me. That she _loved _me. I'm in love with Spencer, but…God, she made me think of so many things when she said that," he confessed.

Tiffany put her hand on Toby's, trying to soothe him. "Listen, Toby, if you want my honest opinion, it doesn't matter what she said as long as _you_ know who _you _love. You're in love with _Spencer_, and I know for a fact that she loves you very much. Your relationship with Chanel, though you liked it, was toxic. You deserve more. You deserve Spencer. You two are beautiful together," she insisted.

Toby took a deep breath, nodding.

"Now, come on. You need to go take care of your drunken princess, because tomorrow she's going to throw something at you. Hangovers are a bitch," she reminded him.

Toby nodded. "Thank you so much, Tiffany."

"I will finish my tea. You go help Spencer, and try not to drunkenly fornicate while I'm still here."

Toby laughed before disappearing into the room. He closed the door behind him. He looked at Spencer's still angelic face as she slept on her stomach. He sat next to her, rubbing circles on her back.

"I'm in love with you now, Spence," he repeated to himself quietly.

* * *

_So in two days I have to go back to that dreaded place they call school, so my updates may be a little less frequent. I'd like to get 30 reviews before I update, though I don't know when I'll get a chance to (since I'm not really sure what kind of work load I'll get in high school). _

**_Troian-Bells: _**_I'm not totally sure if it's true or not, but on my PLL Tumblr (thefaketeam), I put up like three posts on that spoiler, which points to Spencer moving in with Toby. You can check it out, and I'll put a link to my PLL Tumblr on my profile :)_

**_Guest (Sarah): _**_As I think about it more and more, I'm a little annoyed with how I portrayed Andrew to be such an ass because Spencer isn't a dumb girl. So I'm going to fill your brains with doubt on their exes over the course of this story. Their exes are definitely going to screw with their minds, but I think you know what my endgame is :)_

**_elenabee: _**_Well...I hope this chapter provided some kind of doubt with where exactly Toby stands. I want this to be very multi-dimensional, and we will eventually learn all the juicy details about Toby's relationship with Chanel (and I personally love how it's shaping up in my mind...very dramatic). There's obvious reasons as to why Spencer's kind of reluctant to be in it for the long haul with anyone, and her friends kind of know that, but want her to get out of her shell. Toby, in my opinion, is one of those kind of guys who doesn't feel like he needs to wait; when he knows in his heart he could be in it forever with someone, he'll say so. I think up until this point, he's been scared to say that to Spencer, but I truly believe that if he wasn't so scared of scaring Spencer, he would've proposed to her long ago. I think their friends realize it, but now they just want Spencer to realize it. _

**_spobettes: _**_You're way too sweet. I'm getting cavities. _

**_spoby equals awesomeness: _**_Well, sorry to break it to you, but the cuteness will die down soon. There will be angst. But I think you know what my endgame is, so there's no need to fear :)_

**_Spobyforever259: _**_Yeah, I figured you didn't mean it like that, but I thought it was weird. And Chanel will certainly cause some issues. The interaction I'm most excited to write between her and a character is Tiffany's reaction. I think it's partially because Tiffany is my "reincarnate" in this series, but also because Tiffany was like an outsider looking in on Toby and Chanel's relationship. Initially, I was not going to make Tiffany a huge character, but I'm glad I did and she's gotten a really positive response so far, which is great. Oops! I think I let a spoiler slip and I'm just realizing it now. Oh, well. _

**_Guest (Annabelle): _**_If I find out that it's not my darling Spoby the spoiler was referring to, I will be so mad. I just want to see domestic, cute Spoby like I've written them, but cuter because it's Keegan Allen and Troian Bellisario portraying them. And maybe they can get a cat portrayed by Minin Allen...ugh, feels. I hope it happens!_

**_Sylviecake231: _**_I doubt it's Hanna and Caleb since Caleb is leaving Rosewood like one or two episodes into 4B. And Chanel has something to say. Spencer never officially introduced herself as Toby's girlfriend, so Chanel was a little oblivious. Now that she knows, though, I can't wait to see what my crazy brain will get her to do :)_

**_Guest: _**_Thank you. You can check my tumblr (the name is thefaketeam), and I'll also put a link to my PLL tumblr in my profile. I put up like three photos on my tumblr and they're the most recent ones. _

_Also, next chapter, someone reappears in a big way..._

_Stop being such a tease, Kayson. _

_Okay, I think I'm going to go watch a few Jenna Marbles rant videos and cry "WHY MEEEE" while eating a tub of ice cream, crying about the fact that school is in two days._

_'Kay, bye. __**-Kayson**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: **__I survived the terror which is known as high school! Honestly, I don't know what the fuss is all about. Middle school was WAY worse for me. It was absolute HELL for me. Then again, I don't think most people who say high school sucked had to deal with immature, spoilt-rotten private school brats who practically get handed crap on a silver platter. I realize that might sound really weird considering I go to the same school as these people, but MY HOUSE IS LITERALLY FALLING APART so I'm pretty sure that I'm not really on the same level of richness at them. I don't really care, but I just thought I should mention that I don't have a thousand Apple products in my $4.3 million mansion. No, I am typing in my living room on my PC in the same spot that some drywall fell on my head last month. So, yup._

_I'd be glad to go on about my day, but I'm pretty sure you're not that interested, so I'll just go on with this whole thing. I'm guessing you want a chapter. This isn't one. Ignore the whole thing that says "Chapter One" right underneath this sentence..._

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Spencer groaned as she saw the light. She burrowed herself into Toby's chest the next morning, waking him.

"Toby, remind me to never go out with the girls, drinking, ever again," she moaned.

Toby rubbed Spencer's back, though he knew the pain was centralized to her head. "It's okay, Spencer," he attempted.

She groaned once more. "Please don't say that. I feel horrible. Can you just shoot me now and take me out of my misery?" she inquired.

"No," he answered.

"But—"

"No," he repeated with a laugh. "Come on, Spencer. I know what you need. What you need is a lot of water and food and _no coffee_. It'll just make things worse."

Spencer squeezed her eyes shut. "What do you mean 'no coffee'? You know how I get when I don't have caffeine!" she exclaimed.

"I know, but in order to cure the hangover, you're supposed to have a lot of water, and coffee only dehydrates you. You need food and water," he repeated.

She sighed before rolling onto her back. "Well can you, my beautiful boyfriend, please get it for me? I'm lazy and in pain and I don't think that right now, I can even remember where the kitchen is."

Toby nodded, kissing her on the forehead and getting up to get her water and food.

Spencer sighed before she rolled over onto Toby's side of the bed. His warmth was still there, and Spencer curled up in the sheets just covering his body.

Toby returned not five minutes later with two bottles of water and toast. "Eat," he commanded.

Spencer rolled her eyes, but complied with his attempts. She took a bite of the toast, but frowned.

"Spencer," he began in a warning tone. "Let's not have a repeat of my younger cousin Rose, okay? I'm not going to feed you this toast."

She pouted. "Not even for me? You won't feed me in my time of pain?" she asked with puppy eyes.

"Not even you. Rose had a fever. The poor girl kept waking up in the middle of the night, and all I could do was read her _Hop on Pop _over and over again," he said.

She pouted more. Toby rolled his eyes and finally gave in.

"Fine. You win. Open," he instructed. Spencer smiled as Toby fed her a piece of toast.

Fifteen minutes later, Spencer had finished her breakfast, a bottle and a half of water, and her hangover was starting to feel better.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch," she said finally once Toby returned from putting the dishes in the sink.

Toby lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms. "What do you mean?" he asked.

She sighed. "I'm sorry for being such a handful. But I like having you around all the time. I like having you as company," she said, holding onto his hand.

He smiled. "I like being around you. And you don't have to apologize for being _human, _Spence," he insisted before kissing her on the temple. "And I have to tell you something."

Spencer turned to him, concerned, and on high alert. "What is it?" she asked.

"I have to go to New York for work. It'll only be for a couple of days; a week, tops," he announced.

She nodded slightly, but she was a little sad. "Oh. Okay," she uttered.

Toby took her hands, playing with them. "I promise to be back soon and call you. But this is a big offer that I can't pass up," he insisted.

Spencer nodded. "I understand. You should go. It'll be something different for you. It could open a lot of doors," she added with a smile. She wanted nothing more than for Toby to prosper in his job.

Toby kissed her on the temple once more. "I love you, Spencer."

She smiled in response. "I love you, too."

* * *

A day later, Spencer and Toby were engaged in the world's longest farewell kiss (and by far the steamiest).

"Are you already running late?" Spencer asked.

"What's late for you? Thirty minutes early?" Toby retorted before kissing her again.

She pulled away after a couple of seconds, feigning offense. "Hey! It used to be. And I don't want to be the reason you don't get this job," she replied.

Toby smiled at her. "My first meeting isn't until six. I have time," he said, gesturing towards the clock, which read noon, exactly.

Spencer frowned. "Well, then why do you have to leave so early?" she inquired.

"I want to make sure I get to New York, and I want to get settled, so it's not like I'm rushing to get to the meeting. I think you've rubbed off on me, Spence," he told her.

Spencer considered this. "Well…I guess I haven't been the greatest influence in that area. I mean, I know I was really anal-retentive about stuff like that," she supposed.

He kissed her on the cheek. "I love you. I'll be back soon."

She let go of his hand, which she hadn't realized she was holding his hand until the moment their fingertips were no longer in contact. She watched the door close before her, him leaving. She sighed. The rain tapping away at the building did not help her mood.

She settled knowing that Toby would be back soon.

She heard a tap at the door and walked over. Through the peephole, she saw Aria and Cassidy. She let them in.

"Hey, Aria. What are you doing here?" she asked.

Aria placed papers down on the counter, and she sat down on the couch, Cassidy looking all around. "Don't act so happy to see me," she began sarcastically. "I wanted to come over to talk to you about Cassidy's birthday. It's coming up soon. I'm so excited!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Spencer smiled. She looked through the mail. Most of it was junk, and also mostly Toby's. There were about two bills for her. She got to the last piece of mail and swore her heart stopped beating.

"Spence? What's wrong?" Aria asked, picking up on her best friend's obvious discomfort.

Spencer's throat went dry. "This letter," she choked out. "I-it's from Andrew," she said, putting it down.

"What? Andrew?" Aria asked for clarification. Spencer nodded numbly. "How did he find out you lived here, even?" she asked.

Spencer shook her head. She didn't know he knew _anything _about her anymore. She wasn't sure why, but this made her very scared.

"Aria, what do I do? I don't want any contact with Andrew. I haven't spoken to him or seen him in over a year. And now he just decides to pop back up?" She looked down at the letter nervously again. Quietly, she added, "Right when I'm the happiest I've been in my life?"

Aria gave Spencer a sympathetic smile. "Do you want me to read the letter and tell you if it's worth your time or worry? Do you want me to be here when you read it?" she asked.

Spencer nodded innocently. She took a deep breath.

Aria gave her a supportive smile.

Spencer reluctantly tore open the envelope, pulling out three handwritten pages. She gulped at the beginning. The first page was dated in the middle of March, or about eight months ago (as it was now November). It was around the same time that Spencer lost Brandon. Her heart broke a little still thinking of him.

_Dearest Spencer,_

_I realize that I probably don't even deserve for you to read the letter. I've accepted that. But I just needed to get my feelings out, so regardless of whether or not you're reading this, I know that I needed to write it for myself._

_I owe you a thousand apologies for all the pain and grief I must have caused you. You're an amazing woman and you never deserved me cheating on you. But I want you to understand that I didn't cheat because I didn't love you, or because I disliked your body, or anything like that. As carnal and horrible as it sounds, I just wanted the sex. None of those girls meant a thing to me. None of them held a candle to you. I didn't love any of them. I only loved you. _

_I also want to apologize for my drinking. I know it got out of hand, but I think you understand that a lot of pressure has been on me for so long. Especially with our new engagement, I just needed to find a way to take the edge off. I was stressed that I was messing everything up…for everybody. I was scared that I wouldn't live up to my family's standards, or your expectations. I should've realized that you would've accepted me, no matter what, because you loved me. And I loved you. I was so stupid for thinking otherwise. I was stupid for hitting you on occasion. I don't even have an excuse for it. I know it was wrong and horrible for a man to hit a woman. _

_But I'd also like to talk about the way you left me. Even though I know I hurt you a lot, I don't think it was right for you to have left in the way you did. You threw away my ring? You left Paris and you left the house, no words or letter or anything before you left. You didn't even tell me a word about our baby. _

_Another thing is our baby. I heard from a lot of people that you were pregnant. One of my friends saw you with Aria Montgomery, and they said you looked about seven months pregnant. You weren't even going to tell me? The baby is half my DNA, too. I feel like I should've found out from you that I was a father instead of from someone else. I can't guarantee it would change things, but I'd at least pay child support or help out where I could. _

_How is the baby? Is he okay? Are you okay? I'm asking because it's been on my mind every day for months. I can only picture you with a child, and each time I do, I remember what I missed out on. I'm so, so sorry for being an ass._

The next letter was dated in June, when Spencer had been seeing Toby for about two and a half months. Spencer skipped past all the formalities and went right to where her attention was called.

_One last thing. How is the architect? What's his name again? I met him once. Another thing I heard from someone is that they saw you with that guy recently. You were laughing and talking and holding hands. One time, I saw you myself. You were kissing him. I wanted to run over there, but I had to remind myself that you weren't mine anymore._

_Where was our child? Are you raising them to believe that he's the father? Spencer, you can't be angry at me for not being there for a child I didn't know existed. And you can't just raise a kid to think that their father is someone entirely different from the truth. It's not fair for anyone. If he wants to legally adopt our child, I'll contest the adoption. Did you even put my name as the father on his birth certificate or did you have Toby do that for you, too?_

Spencer scowled at the accusation, feeling like a whore for Andrew even speculating that. Then she felt worse with Andrew talking with such contempt over their dead son.

_And while we're confessing here, I saw you for who you really are. So maybe I'm not so sorry that I ever cheated on you. I just felt guilty that I was caught. I guess you can't say the same since I never caught you and Toby together in the act. You don't even have to deny it since I knew something was going on between the two of you. You were way too close to be "just friends". But I'm sure you were doing it for a lot more than sex._

_Was the kid even mine?_

Spencer took a shaky breath as she put the note down. She couldn't deal with the emotions it brought up—any of them.

Aria examined her. "What's wrong, Spencer?"

In response, Spencer brought over the letter to her, trading the pieces of paper with Cassidy as Aria began to read them. Spencer rocked Cassidy, craving the touch of a baby. After losing Brandon, though most people would find it scarring to be so close to a baby, Spencer found it healing. She liked having a baby in her arms. She liked being an aunt to Cassidy.

She heard Aria gasp. "Spencer, this is not good."

Spencer sighs. "I know. He doesn't even realize that…that…"

Aria cut her off before she let Spencer's emotions overcome her. "Spencer, don't. Okay? That ass is not going to screw things up for you now. Toby is not going to let him do that. _You're _not going to let him do that," she reminded her.

Spencer sighed, thinking about it. "I know, but this letter scares me. What if he comes back? Andrew is a spiteful, vengeful person when he wants to be. He seemed pretty upset from the tone of those letters," she speculated as Cassidy made tiny cooing noises and gurgles.

Aria bit her lip. She didn't know what to say to that. "What do you think? That he'll kill you, or something?"

Spencer's eyes widened by the sound of that, and she sat down to prevent her from fainting with Cassidy. "I just feel like I've come so far from my life with Andrew. I mean, I'm more independent and confident and just…proud of myself now. I don't need a man, even though I love Toby. Toby doesn't define me, whereas, Andrew kind of did. It was like I couldn't stand without him, and that's not healthy. Andrew didn't have any faith in me and Toby just pushes me further and further. But now that Andrew's back…I feel like he knocked me back like five spaces," she confessed, putting Cassidy down.

Aria rubbed Spencer's arm with a sympathetic smile.

* * *

Toby looked outside the window into the heart of the city as he loosened the tie around his neck. He smiled thinking of how much Spencer loved New York City.

_"I don't know why, but I feel like that city is like my home," _she'd say, smiling at the mere thought. _"It never sleeps, and personally, I think that we have time to sleep when we die. That city is immortal. It just lives on and on and on. Sometimes I wonder how it's possible for the lights to shine so bright in New York City."_

And then Toby remembered how he first realized he fell in love with Spencer. He remembered how he admitted it to her.

_He had continued with his recollection of flying to Paris. "I was flying over the Atlantic Ocean when I had an epiphany—"_

_Spencer interrupted him, speaking finally. "An epiphany? Who even uses that word? It sounds so archaic," she said. _

_He scoffed. "Look who's talking, Thesaurus. Anyway, I had an epiphany. As I was flying over the Atlantic Ocean, seeing the light reflecting from New York City, I realized that those lights were only paralleled by the sparkle in your eyes. And I realized then that I loved you."_

He remembered it perfectly. It was such a pivotal moment in their relationship. He knew he could never forget, and he thought of what Spencer would say if she were there now.

_"This is the best view in the world,_" she would say. _"You can see the lights, the water, the people…"_

He'd interrupt her. _"Well, it's almost the best view in the world."_

She would scoff. _"Really? What could be better than this?"_

_"You."_

Spencer would smile and Toby would kiss her.

God, he missed her. He just wanted to share this moment with her.

He glanced down at his phone, contemplating calling her, but saw that it was already eleven-thirty and he would likely end up getting yelled at for disrupting her nighttime routine (which she was still anal about). He opted to send her a text message instead.

* * *

Spencer looked up from her book on his side of the bed and glanced at her phone when she heard it beep.

She opened the message and saw a picture of New York City in the nighttime, the lights all over the place. Her heart yearned for New York at that very moment. It was a safe haven free from ex-girlfriends and ex-fiancés.

She scrolled down to read the message.

_I know it's a poor substitute for the real thing, but I at least wanted to show you your favorite city in the world. Good night (or good morning…depending on when you get this). xoxo._

Spencer smiled, thinking of how he was thinking of her.

_I love you. And I love that city, but…I'll always love you more._

* * *

_Aah! The bum is back! #HereComesTrouble, #UhOh, #IHateYouKayson, #ChanelAndAndrewStirrinItUp. #I'm just putting as many hashtags as I can. I actually tagged that as one of my posts on tumblr. I am also the originator of the #Jenna Marbles is A tag. It's so obvious that she is. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Thank you!_

**_Guest (Sarah): _**_Yeah, I'd hardly consider myself as being someone who has several pearls of wisdom to share to the world, but for some reason, when I write stuff down, people think I'm a lot cooler than I actually am. Like, my old English teacher had no idea what I was trying to tell her or explain to her or whatever, and then I wrote it down and she thought it was the freaking Odyssey. And yes, Tiffany is awesome, but she's nothing compared to Selena Rose, my favorite reincarnation who the world has yet to meet. You might be able to meet her by June 2014, if you're lucky, but nothing's set in stone :) If that didn't make sense, don't worry, it wasn't supposed to. I'd fawn over this to you if I could PM you (but I can't since you're a guest :( ). She will start out a tame antagonist. I don't know yet the extent of her attempts to get Spoby to break up, but I wouldn't rule anything out with a crazy writer like me :). _

_**Sunset13: **__I will delve into Chanel and Toby's backstory a little more in this story, and you'll learn especially why Toby was so affected by those three little words. _

_**Capitol's Kisses: **__Hmm...maybe for like a lot of chapters? Ha ha! She'll stir stuff up. But you know what they say: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!_

_**Spobyforever259: **__Well, Chanel is a sneaky, sneaky girl. I always kind of anticipated this, should I write a sequel (while I was writing Begin Again), and I intentionally left any mention of her out. It was always kind of in the back of my mind. I mentioned in one chapter in the last book that Toby hadn't had a serious girlfriend for quite some time...since college. See what I did there? _

_**Spoby101: **__Um, well...I wouldn't consider her a slut, but...hm...I don't really know how to address this. And don't get mad at Toby. And Gatorade and Breakfast? Whaaaa?_

_**Sylviecake231: **__I don't think Toby would ever leave Spencer for another woman. And I totally agree! Something that makes absolutely no sense to me is that we have to wait 5 months between parts A and B for a season, but we only have to wait like two months in between actual seasons. It's pretty stupid. _

_**Spobyjohncenalover: **__He's not really convincing himself...rather, reassuring himself._

_**FabsirellaPrincessOfPopcornia:**__ I like to keep it juicy and fresh...fluff gets boring after a while. I like drama, and anyone who says they don't is lying... :)_

_**adebisi980: **__Well I hope you see this when you get back and enjoy it a lot!_

_**Vexrll: **__Well, you're not supposed to, so that's perfectly fine. _

_**elenabee: **__Oh, yes, this is great for the drama department and will CERTAINLY reopen some old wounds. She is a determined girl and I certainly sense a Mexican-Standoff moment between the two (and no, that's not racist because I'm a Mexican and I'm proud of it! Sorry, that's like a disclaimer since someone accused me of being a racist when I wrote that in a blog...like, what?). And Toby completely has her best interests at heart, so he will certainly wait until he thinks she's ready. Though, this kind of complicates things for him...and now her..._

_**Vexrll: **__You probably don't go to school near where I do. I think my region of the US starts the latest (NY is later than pretty much all the South, which I know starts in August), and if you live someplace completely different, I'm not sure. I read To Kill A Mockingbird and it's a great novel. And I take it that you're a freshman as well...cool. _

_**vondydora: **__I wanted to give everyone some fluffiness before I kill you all with angst. Sorry, I'm cruel like that, but I guess I'm also good at writing fluff. And I don't think Hanna totally realized that it was Chanel at the door, or she kind of just didn't really recognize her or anything. _

_**glitterrain99: **__Thank you so much! I love writing for Spoby!_

_Alright, I really have to go, but maybe if I get 50 reviews to even everything out, I'll update soon! See you when I update next! __**-Kayson**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**__ First off, let me just say thank you very much for the lovely reviews. Unfortunately, as I'm starting school and having to do homework and all that good (read: horrible) stuff, I have less and less time for fanfiction, so you should probably expect less frequent updates from me since this marks the last pre-written chapter from me (Yikes!). I don't know when I'll get to update next, because very unfortunately for me, I'm having a bit of writer's block. (Double Yikes!)_

_And, as always, please check out my Fabrastings story! It looks so weird on my page next to Forget Me Not and Begin Again. It looks so sad with 10 reviews (but hooray for finally getting 10!)._

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Toby woke up and peered out the window, reminding himself for the thousandth time that he was in New York City and Spencer was not there with him.

Two days ago, he could've sworn that she was there when he woke up.

* * *

_Toby sleepily opened his eyes, the Manhattan sun greeting him. He groaned loudly._

_His ears perked up when he heard Spencer's laugh from the other side of the bed. _

_"Someone isn't a morning person, are they?" she teased from across the room. _

_He squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself that he was hallucinating. "I'm dreaming, right? You can't really be here," he said, not sure if he was saying it to himself or Spencer…if she was really there._

_She laughed again. "Of course I'm here, Silly. I'm standing right in front of you!" she exclaimed, and Toby looked up to see Spencer there. _

_Her porcelain skin looked flawless and Toby was reminded of how pretty she looked fresh-faced and sans makeup. She was wearing only a shirt of his. He felt a lump rising in his throat as she walked up to the bed, crawling on the pure white sheets so she was on top of him, her lips centimeters away from his. "Do you need me to prove to you that I'm really here?" she taunted, her voice going down half an octave._

_He froze as Spencer ran her hand down his chest. "Um…no? Did you follow me all the way here?" he asked. _

_She sighed, shrugging. "Well, I wasn't planning on following you here, but after the first night, I started to get terribly lonely. I mean…there was nobody there to touch or hold me during the night. So I just took the next train here. I had to tell the people downstairs that we were married so they'd give me a key to the room, but…it was worth it, right?" she inquired with a smirk. _

_He nodded. Spencer took his hands and placed them on her thighs, guiding them up and down. His heart stopped for a moment when he realized she was actually wearing a ring on her wedding finger. It wasn't the ring she had when she was engaged to Andrew. He could've jumped out of his skin when he realized it was his own mother's engagement ring. _

_She brought his hands all the way up to her hips, making him fully aware that she really was wearing just his shirt. His breath hitched in his throat. _

_Spencer moved her hands to on top of his to his chest, keeping him pressed firmly against the headboard of the bed. "So…do you like what you feel?" she asked deviously. _

_Before she could get a reply, she kissed him. Her kisses were so amazing. Each one, even so many months after they first kissed, felt amazing. There was no loss of passion or anything like that as time wore on._

* * *

Toby woke up two hours later from his supposed dream. He couldn't shake the numbness his lips felt after being kissed by Spencer's. The other side of the bed was oddly untucked, though Toby was usually a pretty still sleeper.

Was Spencer actually there with him?

"Spencer? Spencer?" he called out.

There was no answer. The hotel room was void of life except for him. He kind of wished that she had, in fact, followed him to New York City.

Immediately, he came upon a solution to calm his separation anxiety, which would show Spencer that he really did miss her.

Thirty minutes later, after getting dressed and getting coffee (as strong as the barista could make it, which was still no match for Spencer's coffee), he headed over to his destination.

He looked at displays, trying to decide which would be the best. Finally, he made his decision.

"Is it possible to get this display in irises?"

* * *

Spencer stood near the window in the apartment, reading the card that was with the irises Toby had sent her while she was in New York.

She smiled at the thought. She placed the card down on the coffee table when she heard knocking on the door.

Hanna was supposed to be coming over, which made Spencer happy. She kind of loved being girly with her; getting all starstruck and tongue tied over their boyfriends. Hanna was still going strong with Caleb, and professed multiple times how much she loved Caleb. Spencer couldn't be happier for the both of them.

She didn't even check the peephole to see who it was. She just opened the door.

She could've sworn she felt her heart stop when she saw who was standing there.

"Andrew? What are you doing here?"

Andrew invited himself in. He didn't answer, but looked all around the room. Spencer crossed her arms, displeased with his BS.

"You're in my home, so you have to answer to my questions. What are you doing here?" she pressed again, this time more sternly and irritably.

"I just wanted to see you. It's been a really long time," he said.

She tried not to let her anger overcome her, but found it pretty much impossible. She let out a shaky breath. "Well, in my opinion, forever wouldn't be long enough," she mumbled.

"Are they here?" Andrew asked, ignoring her mumbling.

"Who?" Spencer snapped.

"Toby…our child," he said uneasily.

With hesitation, Spencer thought back to the letter, remembering that Andrew had no idea of the fate of their son. She realized he didn't even know whether it was a boy or a girl.

"No, they're not here," she said. She didn't mention that Brandon had passed away. As far as she was concerned, he didn't deserve to know anything about him. Her blood began to boil thinking about Andrew not being there. "And for the record, Andrew, you don't deserve to know anything about our son. He might be half your DNA, but that doesn't make you entitled to anything. You weren't there when…"

And even though he might not have been there for her half the time when she really needed him, Andrew could still tell when Spencer was close to breaking.

"How could I have possibly been there when he was born if you never even told me you were pregnant?" he asked softly.

Spencer let out a mangled sob, but then shook her head. "No…no, I can't have this conversation. You should really just…just go, Andrew. Please just leave," she said, turning away so he wouldn't have to see her cry.

Andrew still didn't understand. "Spencer, I don't want to be a deadbeat father, because one day, he's going to find out the truth."

Spencer shook her head furiously, still looking out the window. "No, Andrew, you don't understand. There isn't going to _be _a one day," she snapped.

"W—what do you mean?" he asked, still not connecting the dots. "Is he really not mine? Did you put someone else's name on the birth certificate?"

"Oh, for Christ sake—the baby is dead!"

Spencer recoiled when she finally admitted it. She leaned down against the wall with the window, sliding down to the floor. She didn't even try to contain the sobs which were coming out freely now.

With so many thoughts and emotions going through her mind, Spencer didn't even notice Andrew sitting down next to her. She only noticed when he reached out to take her hand and comfort her.

Spencer flinched a little, but didn't move her hand from his. She needed some kind of human comfort. And try as he might, Toby couldn't understand the same situation Spencer was in unless he lived through it like she did.

She realized with some kind of dread that Andrew was the only person who was in the same exact situation as she was when it came to losing Brandon.

There were no words, but Spencer let herself cry in front of Andrew, not really caring anymore.

Another thing she realized—and rather reluctantly—was that she couldn't keep up the façade that she never cared about Andrew. Though she tried so hard after their breakup to rid of any evidence he was ever present in her life, she realized that at one point, she loved him. Or at least, she had believed she loved him. He would always be the father of her first child—even though she tried hard not to remember his presence in her life, either. There was too much pain and guilt when she thought of Brandon; pain because of the horrific way she lost him; guilt because she felt there were so many ways she could've avoided his death.

Following his death, Spencer learned of the many, many ways she may have helped cause his demise. She kept a toy in his crib. She allowed him to sleep on his side or stomach when the recommended sleep position was on his back. She allowed herself to smoke after he was born, and was sure that while she never smoked right in front of him, he ingested nicotine somehow. She felt she didn't get enough prenatal care. There was a whole list of reasons she blamed herself. She would choose one or more at random to scrutinize for the day.

So for some reason, as she was sitting, crying with Andrew, she felt at peace. She felt like maybe she could finally move on from the past. _Maybe._

But maybe there was another piece of her which would always be rooted in the past. She could certainly never forget those things that Andrew had ever given her.

* * *

"And that was Brandon when he was born," Spencer said as she handed Andrew a picture of her holding Brandon.

Andrew looked at the photo in amazement. Spencer smiled absentmindedly at the photo, just thinking of him.

"He was such a good baby," she began, thinking of holding him again. She could feel tears forming, but at this point, no longer cared. "He didn't cry at night; he just slept. And he laughed. And you could see how much he loved everyone."

Spencer could see Andrew was also on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry I never got to know him."

Spencer bit her lip. "I'm sorry for not telling you about him," she answered finally. "You at least deserved to find out from me. I mean…he was your son, too. But I was just so upset when he died. It's one thing to miscarry a child, but…it's another story when you give birth to him. You hold him…you get to see him smile…or hear his laugh…and then you get to fall in love. And then it's all just taken away from you," Spencer said, beginning to sob again. "Maybe, in a way, you're lucky you never got to meet him."

"Spencer, that only makes things worse. I'll never get to meet him."

Spencer sniffled in some kind of agreement. She tried to pull herself together, failing completely.

"Well…thank you for talking to me, Spencer. I'm sorry for just barging in here, unexpected, but I figured you'd probably avoid me if I called you," he explained.

Spencer nodded, avoiding eye contact with him. Also like old times, the thought of showing vulnerability towards Andrew made her stomach churn.

"Well…that's true. You should probably go now," Spencer insisted, not looking up at him.

Andrew nodded and sullenly made his way to the door. Spencer, not hiding her tears anymore, gathered photos and reminders of Brandon's short life and put them back in the box—which Toby didn't even know about—that she kept all his things in.

* * *

Toby looked at the irises, a few of which were sitting on what would be Spencer's side of the bed, the others in a vase on the desk in the room.

Toby thought of irises when he thought of Spencer. After all, irises symbolized inspiration, and Spencer inspired Toby to be so much.

He hated how much he missed her. He thanked God that he would be seeing her in another two days. He couldn't handle separation anxiety anymore; he simply wanted to hold her, kiss her, and tell her just how much he loved her.

* * *

_I could really use some ideas because I'm very conflicted in which direction I'm taking this story now. _

**_spoby equals awesomeness: _**_Well how do you feel about him really being back? And this will cause some kind of drama (hint prologue) anyway...no, I did not just spoil anything. What? What? Okay, I'll stop now. I'm trying to throw you off. It's probably not working. Oh well._

**_Spoby101: _**_Have you always had that avatar or am I just stupid? It's really cute! Love you too!_

**_Guest (Sarah): _**_The goal was for you to feel bad and then get kind of pissed. But also remember at how he has to look at things. He still thinks Brandon is alive (Exhibit A, the letters, Exhibit B, this chapter). I'm sure your stories are great. I would certainly read them and would be looking forward to PMing you sometime soon (hopefully). And my goal for this year is to finish a fourth story (which I'm not too far away from, considering this one is in pretty good standing for a third story, and it takes me about 8-10 weeks to finish a story). I'm also attempting a crossover (Enchanted, Fabrastings) of Glee. I have another one in the works, thinking of like this massive crossover with a bunch of PLL and Glee characters in a mutual location. I wish I could write more, but I'm a little bit over my head with other stuff. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_This is not the end of Andrew as we know it. And I might say yes, but he belongs with Spencer, and there's already this massive waiting list of people wanting to get him, so..._

**_Spobyforever259: _**_I guess that he figured Spencer was not only cheating physically, but emotionally, as well, which makes him feel very betrayed, whereas he was simply doing it for sex. In his mind, he was only getting what he felt he didn't get enough of with her, but his heart was still with her. Also in his mind, he thought that Spencer had fallen in love with Toby when she was supposed to be with him. And he sent it to her now because he feels like there's been enough of a mourning period for their relationship where he can tell her. He's been holding onto those letters for awhile and finally feels it's time to let her know how he feels. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_I understand your frustration. The feels are going crazy now. _

**_infinitydreamzz: _**_When you're done playing catch-up, I'll be here...waiting..._

**_FabsirellaPrincessOfPopcornia: _**_My name is trouble..._

**_Sunset13: _**_Is Tanel really a thing? I've never heard anyone reference to Toby and Chanel in such a way. Do I have a secret group of followers that only people other than me know about? I'm so confused!_

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_The more I look at your username, the more I realize how much I would love it if Treegan existed IRL. Like, I get that Keegan's got a girlfriend and Troian has a pretty cool boyfriend, but still...ugh, the showmance. And of course Spoby. Spoby is the best ship ever, and I will ship Spoby 'till I die. _

**_LynnLayne18: _**_I've woven quite a complicated web to this, haven't I? I'm also really happy that I know how to write fluff since I've never ever done it much before this story (well, personal things, for my eyes only, but never published stuff online). And I go right for the kill. I dive headfirst into drama. And aw, shucks, I'm blushing. I think I'm hilarious, but apparently, other people don't see it that way. I guess you do! And it's not creepy. I realize that I kind of talk more about my personal life than I really should. If there's ever a day (and I remember that I had a really rough one writing my first story) that I right next to nothing in my author's notes or I just seem really dead when I reply to reviewers, it means either I had a really crappy day or I have NO time to write anything, but I still want to give you guys that update. Tiffany is the best. Not only do I love her name, but she's like Me/Selena (you guys will all have the pleasure of meeting Selena sometime in the near/distant future, I hope)._

**_Sunset13: _**_I still don't understand why you'd think that I'd make fun of it? It's a great start, and I'm always here to help. _

**_elenabee: _**_I always wonder what stuff would be like if A didn't exist. I don't think that the characters would be like the ones they are now if A and Alison never existed. If you think about it, I think they'd all be very different in their own regards. For example, I feel like Emily would be as sweet but maybe a little less timid. I mean, she was stifled by Alison and rejected by her, which I think made a dent in her confidence. Hanna, I feel, would be like Alison in some ways (assuming she didn't have the same exact past as the Hanna on the show). I feel like Spencer, however, would have the most dramatic change. If you look at that flashback Halloween episodes, she was pretty timid and nervous as a young girl, and I feel like it could've carried over into her adult life. She seemed kind of under-confident, so that's just my thought. And wait for it...wait for it (not telling you exactly what I'm talking about, but I hope that you'll figure it out). And Chanel...we'll definitely be seeing her again :)_

_Alright, so I'll update when I get around to finishing Chapter Six, but I have no guarantee or even estimate for when that will be. I'm up to my ears in stuff to do, and I'm a master procrastinator. Le sigh... _

_Anyway, so review, follow, favorite, and let me know what you think, please! __**-Kayson**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: **__I have the longest author's note at the end, but I figured you guys would want to read the chapter first..._

_By the way, today sucked, if anyone was wondering. _

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Andrew sighed as he sat at the bar. He was in a bar he had sat at a hundred times, only this time was much different.

Instead of trying to erase thoughts of his fiancé (or his ex-fiancé), he was trying to forget all about what Spencer had told him about their son.

He threw back another shot, the alcohol burning as it slid down his throat.

"Whoa. You'd better slow down. Soon enough, you won't even be able to see your hand in front of your face," chirped a voice to Andrew's left.

He turned slightly to see a girl with dirty blond hair and blue eyes smiling.

He shrugged. "I've been through a lot today; cut me a break," he pleaded with a slight slur.

She laughed a little bit. "Alright, just this once. And that's only because I had a tough week, too," she said.

He shook his head. "It couldn't have been worse than my day today," he insisted.

"You're probably right. I came all the way here to see if my college boyfriend would take me back. I came here to find that he has a girlfriend. And she's really pretty," she said with a sigh. "What about you?"

"I found out that I have a son. And he's dead," he said bitterly, taking another shot to dull the pain.

The girl sighed. "I'm sorry. I must sound like a whining bitch in comparison to what you've been through. That's horrible," she soothed, putting her hand on his arm.

He looked at her hand, trying to decide whether or not this was real.

"Getting drunk isn't going to do anything, though," she reminded him.

He sighed and nodded. "I know."

The girl smiled. "I think I should get you out of here, before you finish another bottle of tequila."

He looked at the girl in amusement. He offered no resistance when she took him by the hand and dragged him out of the bar.

* * *

Spencer sat, waiting in hers and Toby's apartment. Ever since Andrew had paid her an unexpected visit, she had anticipated his arrival even more.

She was growing more and more anxious as the minutes and seconds passed. She just craved human comfort like nothing else.

When she finally heard the door open, she was so excited. She turned, breaking into a smile immediately. She got up and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," she said as she gave him a hug.

He laughed. "I missed you, too. Did you get your gifts?"

She let go of him, nodding. "I got all of them. Why did you send me so many flowers while you were away?" she asked, referencing his gift of irises, which preceded purple hyacinths she had gotten two days later. "And are you really that infatuated with the color purple? I mean, all the flowers you get me are purple. You gave me purple hibiscuses when we started dating, and now you're giving me purple irises and hyacinths. Is there a pattern here?" she interrogated.

"Why? Do you have something against the color purple?"

"No, it's a lovely color in between blue and red on the color wheel. But I'm wondering if it means something."

He thought about it, glancing at the hyacinths which were positioned perfectly on the table. "It means good judgment. And I think I have really good judgment in one way or another because I have you."

She raised an eyebrow. She thought about it, glancing at the hyacinths which were positioned perfectly on the table. "So you chose me? If I'm not mistaken, I think that you waited a while before you actually said something to me about your feelings," she reminded him.

"Um…well…purple symbolizes magic, and being with you is a euphoria I can only compare to magic," he amended.

She nodded, biting her lip and suppressing a laugh at his expense. "That's a good one, Jack Frost. Maybe you should write that down…it's very poetic. Actually, I think that you can start a website by now of romantic sayings for people who aren't as good of boyfriends as you are," she teased. "They could go there and get some quotes that are so romantic, their girlfriends will fall head-over-heels for them. You know—kind of like how I am with you."

Toby smiled. "Kind of?" he inquired? "I thought you were devastatingly in love with me."

Spencer rolled her eyes with a smile. "Fine. I'm devastatingly in love with you. And I'm the only girl who will ever be this lucky to have you, right?"

"Of course," he answered without thinking.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, something much different was happening.

Chanel sat across from Andrew in her apartment, offering him coffee. He took it, silently offering a thank you.

"Do you want to talk some more?"

He shrugged. "It's just…I was engaged to this girl. She never told me she was pregnant and she kind of just…left me. I hadn't seen her, but someone told me about her being pregnant. When I finally talked to her about it, she told me that the baby died."

Chanel bit her lip. She eventually put her hand on his arm, trying to provide some kind of comfort to him as some tears came to his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I can't believe she wouldn't tell you something like that."

He was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I deserved it. I mean, I never told her so many things…"

She looked at him for a moment, observing him. "You keep giving these vague clues to something. What do you want to say? You don't have to tiptoe around anything," she insisted.

"I'm a bad person," he continued vaguely.

"So am I. We all have our faults. You don't have to feel bad about it," she persuaded.

"Really bad. I cheated so much on her. And it was so stupid, but…it was like an itch I had to scratch. It was just sex. I didn't think that it would ruin our relationship. If I could go back and not do it…I would," he told Chanel.

Chanel nodded. "I feel the same way about my ex. I never took things seriously with him. But I was scared. I never realized it, but I was with him longer than I had been with anyone. I never realized the extent of my feelings for him. Not until he was already gone," she said.

"What happened?" he inquired, drinking some coffee. The bitter taste reminded him of Spencer. He couldn't have set it down quicker after that.

She sighed, recalling past events with uneasiness. "Really, we were both young. I knew I was his first everything, but I wasn't mature enough to realize what that meant. I didn't know how much faith and how much of his heart he put into our relationship, and in the end, I just destroyed it," she explained softly.

"And how did that happen?"

Chanel gulped thinking it over.

* * *

"Toby, this is ridiculous. What could you possibly be doing?" Spencer complained again as she messed with the tie of his he had placed over her eyes.

"Spencer, relax. I haven't done anything, have I?" he inquired innocently.

"No, but I still didn't feel okay with you feeding me while I'm blindfolded," she added bitterly.

He laughed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. Your mind always seems to be in the gutter."

She scoffed. "I have a loose imagination, thank you very much," she retorted.

He simply laughed. He opened the door. He sighed, looking around at the room he hadn't really been in for a while. "This is either going to be extremely creepy or touching for you," he commented.

"Can I take this stupid tie off now?" she asked.

"I thought you liked that tie! Emily gave me that tie. I'm telling her that you insulted it," he answered childishly. He moved behind her, shutting the door behind them, and proceeding to untie the makeshift blindfold.

"Well Emily can bite me then," she replied jokingly as she allowed Toby to take his tie off her face.

Spencer opened her eyes and was greeted by a whirlwind of colors. Most noticeably were the red hues which were splashed throughout the room. Many of the red paintings were just abstract blendings of different shades of red. There were also several paintings of flowers, ranging from hyacinths to orchids to irises.

"What is this?" she inquired, her brown eyes filling with wonder as they studied the room.

"This is where you'll either find it amusing or creepy, and I honestly wouldn't blame you if you broke up with me over this."

She furrowed her eyebrows, but didn't peel her eyes away from the paintings and drawings.

"This room is where I go, sometimes, when I want to draw something outside of work, and ever since I met you, this is what I've come up with," he explained, looking over his own work.

"Is that why you were so touchy about this room?" she asked, recalling the several times she had come over his apartment and he firmly said not to enter that room.

"I was worried you'd think I was painting with blood or something morbid like that," he explained.

She looked at it all in amazement. She saw the tiny, subtle, careful brush strokes throughout the paintings. "I don't know what to feel."

Suddenly, a thought popped up in her mind. "Hey, if you're so inspired by me, and I'm your 'muse' or whatever, why aren't there any pictures of me?" she teased.

He answered simply and without hesitation. "No matter how hard I try, my drawings could never be half as beautiful as you are."

She was about to say something very sweet as she looked at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but her attention was called by a painting behind him. Her eyes became wide as she walked over to examine one painting in particular.

She picked it up, showing Toby as his eyes followed her.

"Is this—?"

She trailed off, and Toby picked it up.

"This is the exact scene from Paris. I remembered it vividly. It'd funny, the things you remember when you miss someone," he answered.

Her jaw hung open, taking in what this all was. "Now I'm sure how I feel. Toby…this is beautiful," she said.

"Still…not as beautiful as you. And I finally wanted to share it with you now that you know how I feel about flowers and things like that."

Spencer smiled, walking over towards him. She placed her hands on his face. "You are about as sappy as a Hallmark card, and I love you for it. Now I understand, all the flowers. They all mean something. Irises are inspiration. Purple hyacinths are passion," she said.

"Orchids and hibiscus flowers are delicate beauty, which you were from the moment I met you," he told her, referencing the flowers he had brought her on their first dates. She smiled fondly at the memory.

Toby walked over to the far corner of the room, where there was an easel covered in a tarp.

"And then there's one I've been thinking of a lot lately. Now, we've gotten to a new phase in our relationship, when it comes to being more intimate and living together," he said, putting his hand on the cover.

She smiled. Finally, she commented, "Wow. You used the word intimate. I don't think I've ever heard a guy use that word before."

He chose to ignore the comment. Taking a deep breath, he pulled it off.

Spencer gasped at the realism in the picture. It looked like a perfect photo of tuberoses.

"Tuberoses mean pleasure, and white means purity. Spencer, being with you is the best experience I've ever had, in my entire life," he claimed, taking both of her hands.

She stared at the picture in awe. "You're so amazing. I could tell you that, along with how much I love you, every second of every day, but it could never be enough," she said quietly. "But I love you so much, and this is amazing. You're amazing," she repeated, her smile growing wider with each word.

Toby pulled her closer, an identical wide smile on his face. He kissed her sweetly, and Spencer reciprocated his actions.

"So are we keeping that picture in here?" Spencer asked as she leaned her head on his chest.

"We can keep it wherever you want it," he answered softly.

"I want it in here, along with all the other beautiful things you've made," she responded.

He nodded, smiling. Spencer pecked him on the lips once more.

* * *

_And now to address some lovely viewers..._

_But before I start, I'd like to rant. It's kind of like a Jenna Marbles-like rant, but less cursing. Please listen, kind viewers, because letting you all know the details of my messed up life relaxes me, and I really need that. _

_*Whoosh*_

_Okay, so most of the really messed up stuff that happened to me today has to do with this freaking History test. I think it was the first test I've ever officially failed (and I'm a straight A student; my past history average was a 95.6 or something like that). I won't be surprised if I failed; I'll be surprised if I passed._

_So these two girls just like collided into each other, and this one girl was drinking some kind of dragonfruit vitamin water or some crap like that. It goes everywhere. Like, freaking EVERWHERE. It even gets on this stupid test that we have to take. _

_My history teacher just got so pissed. I'm not even mad at the girls at this point. I'm mad at my history teacher. He was WELL AWARE that his test was more like a freaking final, okay? He actually said to us, you don't have to make the answers really long, because it's going to take the whole period to finish this. But he just wants to torture us, and basically, he throws this hissy fit because apparently (insert feigned surprise here) it got ALL over the tests we were taking and his exam book. By the way, I got handed some of the tests at the top of the pile; there was no trace of fruity drink on it. So he takes like ten freaking minutes out of class (he showed up late, by the way), and he makes us clean his desk and the floor and all this crap, and basically...we got like thirty five minutes to finish this stupid test, which is about a bunch of Greeks. I mean, Greeks are awesome, but when you talk about this stuff in class, you don't know who the hell you're taking about! I mean, the Greeks all have names that look totally different from how you pronounce them. I mean, Sophicles is pronounced like Sof-ick-leees. Like, what? No excuses, I epically failed that test, but my hand has carpel tunnel. We had to do this stupid matching section, then multiple choice (thank you, PARC teacher, for showing us how to basically cheat for multiple choice), true or false, and then like these five freaking essays. Five. I had to finish all of them in about twenty minutes. My time management sucked. I don't know when the next time I'll update is, because if I got a really suckish grade, I'm gonna try to achieve studying-Nirvana. Like, this needs to be fixed. I'm going inhale that freaking World History textbook, because this will not be happening again...I want to go to Columbia (2nd choice: NYU), so I need to be like the top of my class. I need to be smarter than Trip and Wesley, who are like two young William James Sidises. Like really, it's ridiculous. I need some of their smartness. _

_I could also use some of Trip's athleticism, because tomorrow is SAC day, and I better win that damn tug-o-war. Merrick for the win. You're looking at a member of the best house on SIA. It's like no contest. Don't even try to argue. We're the best. _

**_Sarah (Yup, you're just Sarah now; mi casa es su casa): _**_And hooray. I did something right. Yes, I was trying to fix the horrible job I did at his characterization in his last story. There will be vulnerability in him now. I can't say for sure whether or not he will interact with Toby, but he's not through with interacting with Spencer. And Andrew will pull...something. He's not really that good of a person (I'm trying to make him multi-faceted, not actually extremely likeable), but I want everyone to understand that he's hurting like Spencer is. Maybe he's even hurting more because he never got to meet his son (wink, wink). _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Thank you!_

**_Spobyforever259: _**_YES! This was exactly what I was going for! You can see how Andrew would accuse Spencer of this, right? He's really uncertain. I also love how you got me on where he's coming from in his pain. Him and Spencer can just relate. And ha, dream on. That was a really wet dream Toby had one morning. Tsk, tsk. Sorry, but she wasn't actually there. He untucked the sheets somehow, but it's cute that he thinks of her :D _

**_Sunset13: _**_You might need to worry a little about Andrew, but trust me, the real drama has not begun yet. I am being very kind in not showing you all the angst I can put in this story just yet. You will all hate me once Part One is through. HATE me. I promise. I will have crushed you and left you on a major cliffhanger. Oops! Spilled the beans. Still, no more hints. I've already been giving AL wayyyy too many. You can ask her for some spoilers, but..._

**_Guest: _**_I totally failed at this request. _

**_vondydora: _**_I really would not say they are growing apart right now. Naturally, they're exiting the Honeymoon phase...the honeymoon is over. Right now, they're settling into being extremely comfortable and domestic around one another. I really don't think the question is how they'll fall apart at the first obstacle that comes their way, but how they're going to overcome it. And yes, Andrew has to come back right now. Timing is a bitch. This is where I really start to disagree with you, though it's not a bad thing. Agreeing to disagree is good. I really don't believe that someone could ever understand what it's like to lose a child unless they've gone through it before, as a mother or a father. You could argue that he didn't even know, but really, he did. His son was on his mind a lot. He knew he was a father, but he didn't know how to confront Spencer. I think that the pain may be hitting him just as hard. The same guilt that Spencer feels for all those things she did that could've helped Brandon get SIDs, Andrew feels for not being around while he was alive. And I strongly disagree that Toby could understand anything Spencer went through. He was never a father (or was he? Bad joke), and the only pain he knows is the pain Spencer went through (which she barely showed him) involving the death of her son. He can't empathize with her at all; he can't even begin to imagine. He's never been in her shoes. He can only pity her. He can never understand, unless Spencer goes through something similar with him, and even then, it'll still be different. I really don't think that Spencer wants to prove herself, but she actually just wants to abandon the past in her relationship. But she can't let go. I actually don't mind the criticism. It's better than writing a thousand thank you, thank you, thank yous. _

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_Thank you!_

_Okay, please, kind, beautiful, sweet, awesome readers leave a review. I might review once I get 70 reviews, but I can't guarantee (because I'd really like not to fail this Quarter and I think I already bombed the first few things I had to take, sans English [even though that was French...ugh! I'm such a failure!]), so yup, please review! _

_And also, tag your review with #Don'tFailKayson if you would like for me to pass this quarter. Tag your review with #MerrickFTW if you would like my house (which is still the best) to win with an overwhelming lead tomorrow. Tag your review with #FreakingUpdateKayson if you want quicker updates._

_I think I know which one you want. __**-Kayson**_


	8. Chapter 7

**_Author's Note: _**_So in this chapter, there may or may not be talk about getting married...some baby talk...blah blah blah._

_Oops! Did I just say that? _

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Toby looked at the clock once more. In the last fifteen minutes, he had probably looked about seven times, checking on when Spencer would finally come out.

"Spence?" he asked again.

"Toby! Calm down! I'll be out in a minute!" she shouted harshly from the bathroom.

He made a mental note not to call her again. Finally, about three minutes later, Spencer emerged. Toby was speechless. She was always beautiful, but she looked amazing now.

"You hate it, don't you?" she asked self-consciously before moving to get a new outfit from their closet.

"No! Spencer, you look amazing," he said, barely forming the words.

She frowned. "This dress looks horrible, doesn't it? I'm sorry. I just can't find the one I was looking fo—"

She stopped immediately as Toby put his hands on her arms, running them up and down slowly. She could feel his breath on her neck. She gulped.

"Spencer, you look beautiful. I always think you look beautiful, but now…you're stunning," he promised her. "Now, come on. We have to get to dinner now."

She nodded, gulping again. "Toby? I promised Aria that we would make Cassidy's birthday cake for tomorrow, so maybe…we could do that when we come back?" she asked, not facing him.

He nodded. "Sure. It sounds like fun."

* * *

"What does the term 'sensible shoes' mean, anyway? I wear three inches or I wear nothing. But preferably, I wear three inches," Hanna said before she took a sip of coffee.

Emily rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her blonde friend. As she paused between solving Sudoku, she looked up and saw a familiar blonde ordering up front at the coffee place.

"Hey, wait. Is that—?"

Emily trailed off, and Hanna turned to see the blonde.

"What is with this girl?" Emily asked finally.

Hanna turned back, taking out her dangling earrings and putting them on the table. "I don't know, but I'm dealing with this bitch now," she announced, getting up. Emily was frozen for a moment before she got up and chased her.

Hanna wasn't letting Emily stop her. She wasn't Toby's best friend, but his friend, nonetheless, and she wanted him to be happy. Though he seemed happy, his relationship with Chanel was always chaotic.

She was never around for him. She was always out doing God-knows-what with God-knows-who God-knows-where. He was always crushed, sitting at home, waiting for her. He gave a lot in the relationship, only to get very little.

Hanna stood on the side, never saying anything. But she _should've. _Toby was being abused mentally, and it was ugly. She was a snake.

Chanel was just walking away from the counter when she almost ran into Hanna.

"Hanna? Hanna Marin?" she inquired, beginning to smile as she looked at Hanna.

Hanna greeted her with stone cold silence. She wasn't amused.

Chanel's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

Emily finally stood next to Hanna. Chanel looked from the brunette to the blonde, thinking.

"We need to talk," Hanna announced finally.

* * *

Spencer fidgeted with her hands as she waited for Toby to come back to their table. She fiddled with the ring resting on her right ring finger. She twirled it around, unable to keep her fingers still. She examined it intently.

Absentmindedly, she took the flashy piece of jewelry off her right hand and placed it on her left ring finger. She shifted it so the dim light would catch it perfectly. She smiled, subconsciously hoping that one day, that finger would be occupied with a more expensive, flashier ring.

Toby came back. Spencer snapped up in attention.

He looked at her with some kind of amusement. "What are you doing, Spence?"

"Nothing," she promised innocently as she took a sip of red wine.

He noticed the ring resting on her finger. "Are you hoping to get a glimpse into your future?" he asked playfully.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He pointed towards her ring. Blushing, she took it off and placed it in her original place.

"Spencer," he began. He took her hands in his, so they were holding hands across the table. "It's not bad to want that for the two of us. Is marriage something that you want?" he asked.

Spencer sighed. "I'm not going to lie, Toby, and say that it's something I'm never going to want, because I know I will, eventually. But I'm just scared that…maybe our relationship will end like mine with Andrew. He really wasn't cheating on me or abusing me until we got engaged." Spencer only realized she had begun to cry when Toby reached across the table to wipe the tear away. "I don't want us to end like that."

"Spencer…I would never, _ever_ cheat on you. Please believe me when I say that. I would _never _abuse you or hurt you in the way he has. And I don't want you to ever think that any of it was your fault."

"But what if…what if I'm no good at marriage? What if that's what happened to Andrew and I? What if you—"

"I'm not going anywhere, as much as I can tell you're trying to get rid of me," Toby joked.

Spencer gave him a slight smile at his attempt at humor.

One of the things she loved most about him.

* * *

"You _what_?" Emily asked, her eyes widening.

Chanel looked down at the floor. "I know. I'm horrible. But I just didn't…I wasn't serious about the relationship, okay? I was twenty-one. I was so young. I didn't understand what love really was. I just wanted to have fun," she whimpered.

"Are you trying to tell us that you never saw Toby as more than casual sex? You led him on for that long?" Hanna inquired, incredulous.

"No, no! I want to make it really clear to both of you that I considered Toby my boyfriend. But I used the term really loosely. I didn't think about all the commitment it was, and I really never considered us 'serious'," Chanel explained.

Hanna scoffed. "You were dating for three freaking years!" she exclaimed.

"I know," she replied sheepishly. "I know I screwed up, too. And it's not fair for me to ask him to take me back now that he's with that other girl. But honestly, what does she have that I don't? I just want him back so badly. But he wants someone else…"

Emily suddenly became very defensive. "What 'That Girl' has that _you _don't is unconditional love for him. She loves him with all her heart and _never, ever_ takes him for granted. She appreciates him and loves him as much as he deserves it. She _knows_ that she could lose him at any given moment and she cherishes the time she has with him. And something she also has that you don't is _his _heart and _his _love. You don't deserve him, Chanel. You never cared enough to realize how much he loved you. You broke his heart, and you didn't even care. You still don't care. All you really want is for him to take you back, because you've finally realized that he would treat you better than anyone else because he is amazing. He's selfless and he's a great friend and a great boyfriend. But you're never going to know because when you had the chance, you didn't take it. Now your chance is over, and it's Spencer's turn. If things don't work out for them and you can actually _prove _that you'd love him and cherish him as much as he did you, then _maybe _you could try and make things work."

Hanna, moved by Emily's words, finally spoke. "But that's never going to happen, because Spencer loves him as much as he deserves to be loved. They're perfect together, and they're not going to let you get in between their endless love," she added.

Emily nodded in agreement.

Chanel sighed. "There's something else that I wanted to tell you," she began, kind of switching the subject.

"What is it?" Emily inquired curtly.

"Did you get knocked up or something?" Hanna asked, only half-joking.

Chanel shook her head, looking down at her thumbs nervously.

"I never told anyone the real reason why I left. It wasn't just because I thought I didn't really love him."

Emily rolled her eyes impatiently, while Hanna seemed a little more willing to hear.

"I found a Tiffany box in his clothes. There was a ring inside."

* * *

"Toby, where do you keep the mixing bowl?" Spencer inquired as she searched throughout the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.

Toby came out, not wearing a shirt. Spencer, in her frantic state, didn't notice. She continued to look.

"What are you looking for?"

"A mixing bowl. And don't you even dare think of seducing me until we're done with the cake. I promised Aria I'd help, and it's the least I can do for my little bumblebee," Spencer warned.

"Seduce you? When have I ever done that?" he asked innocently.

She laughed. "When have you _not _done that? There was that night at the hotel, the morning after at the hotel, that afternoon in that hotel—"

"Hey, I was trying to give you a very romantic day, Spence. Can you blame me? You're gorgeous," he replied, touching her arm.

"Yeah, that was fun. Anyway, then there was the next week, after I got home from work, the night I moved in, the day after you came back from New York—"

"I wouldn't consider that being seduction," he argued.

"You_ seduced _me," she retorted.

He stood, mouth agape. "What about those times you seduced me?"

"Like when?" she inquired with a laugh.

"Every other time."

She looked over her shoulder at him, finally taking in the view. Her eyes remained on his torso. She tried parting her eyes, but they didn't seem to cooperate with her brain. She closed her eyes instead.

"God, Toby, you're doing it again. Could you please put on a freaking shirt and help me?" she asked.

"Jeez. Fine, Spence," Toby mumbled, leaving the room.

She bit her lip, finally pulling out a glass mixing bowl. Toby came out a minute later (fully clothed).

"I'm sorry, Toby. I just want this to be as perfect as possible. Cassidy is my only niece, and I love her so much. I mean, after everything that happened…I'm so thankful to have her and—"

"Shh, Spencer. I know," he said, holding her, kissing her on the head. She took a deep breath.

"So, what kind of cake are you making?" he inquired with a smile.

Spencer relaxed, smiling at him.

* * *

"Toby, no! You have to level off the measuring cup or it's not right!" Spencer scolded, taking the cup from him.

"You just put that _unleveled _cup of sugar in the mix," he retorted.

She rolled her eyes. "You can never have enough sugar, and there's already a lot of chocolate in this recipe for the icing. If we don't get it right, then—"

She stopped abruptly. She looked down at the apron she was wearing, spotting white powder on the side. She looked over at Toby, who was silent, leaning against the counter, seemingly proud of himself.

"Oops," he said mockingly.

She shook her head. She took the cup of cocoa in her hand and poured it over his head. She smiled, putting the measuring cup down.

"Oops," she replied, mirroring his mocking nature.

When this failed to get a rise out of him, Spencer picked up one of the eggs, weighing it in her hand. Toby looked at her curiously. She smirked. Then, she cracked it on the counter, and then over his head. He watched the egg drip onto his face and eventually off of his head.

"Honey, are you egg-cited, or are you just happy to see me?" she asked with a smirk.

"That's it," he answered. "Baby, come here and give me a kiss," he prompted.

She shook her head. "No way. Get away from me!" she answered with a laugh, before she took more of the flour and threw it at him.

"But I just love you so much! Come back here!" he called as he continued to chase her around the counter.

Finally, he chased her so she was behind the sink. She grabbed the hose, pointing it towards Toby.

"Spencer!"

"Don't come any closer!" she warned.

"We can talk about this—"

Spencer turned on the water, warning him that she was ready to spray him. "Don't move," she warned.

"Spence—"

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Spencer sprayed him with water. He became drenched within a few seconds.

Spencer bit her lip, concealing a laugh as she looked at him. She was sure she also looked horrific after the whole food fight. She was sure she didn't look anything like he did, though.

"Toby…" she began. But she stopped herself. She couldn't conceal her laughter.

"I'm going to go take a shower, because I desperately need it. You can finish…this," he said before turning and leaving.

As she watched him leave, she burst into more laughter. In the midst of it, the timer went off. She quickly went to the oven to get the cake, taking it out and placing it on the cooling rack.

Suddenly, she felt very bored.

She decided to go into their room. She heard the water running in the bathroom.

She caught a look of herself in the mirror.

* * *

Inside the shower, Toby heard (and saw) the door creak open slightly. He was startled to see Spencer there.

"Hey, Toby?" she asked, her voice echoing throughout the bathroom. "I think I have to join you."

Spencer walked up to the shower door, and Toby finally got a good look at her.

"I think you're right."

* * *

_I'm such a tease! #TiffanyBox #SpobyBaking #HannilyBustinSomeBalls_

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Thanks!_

**_Sunset13: _**_Andranel should be a thing. Let's make it trend on Twitter. Jk, jk. Um...what?_

**_Sarah: _**_Aww, I could never forget about my loyal, funny readers. Seriously, I am one of the luckiest writers ever: I have the best readers. Anyway, I may or may not fail this Quarter, but know it's because of my dammed chronic procrastination, not because of you guys. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_You thought you were safe, didn't you? News flash, honeys: you're never safe with me. And I'll consider making Andranel a thing. But I think I might want to see a little more of #Tanel or #Spandrew. By the way, I didn't totally fail that test. I got a B-, which, yes, is a Kayson F, but nothing compared to the real F I thought I got (and probably deserved). Just remember what team I play for. #teamMERRICK. Oh yeah. _

**_AL3110: _**_Ladies and gentlemen, the notorious AL! AKA, my Danish friend who I sometimes mention in my blogs and I think occasionally in my author's notes. Hey, AL. _

**_Guest (Kmm): _**_I think that #TeamAndranel would be a scary thing. I don't know if I'll have them team up, but they're not going to be gone so easily. They're not like old gum you can just get off your shoe. They're sticky, sticky bitches. _

**_BirdSingsBells: _**_Thank you! And I love your avatar, by the way. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_Thanks! I guess it worked, because we won! We're in first place. And how many houses does your school have? I'm curious :) Mine has five. So I guess I should say #BensonFTW for you. I think I might do either one of those two options (Andranel ganging up or hooking up). Thug levels are high. Anyway, I hope I answered your question on why they broke up in this chapter :)_

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_Aww, that's okay! Better late than never, right? And you're a ginger? That's so cool. I have brown hair (which everyone thinks is black, but...) I'm guessing you didn't really care, but I'm socially awkward like this. So thank you again, I'm so glad you liked it. _

**_mickeymack16:_**_ Thanks so much, and I'm very glad you found it. I'm also quite pleased that you love it, since that's always awesome. _

_In case you did not get the memo, your #MerrickFTW hashtags must've worked because MERRICK IS IN FIRST PLACE! We've got 100 house points, followed by Partington, the other cool house, with 80 points. In 3rd place is Willard-Mundorf, AKA, the nerd house, but they're not too bad, with 60 points. Then is Methfessel, AKA, the house that thinks they're better than everyone else, in 4th place with 40 points. As other houses like to say, they've got four wins and fourth place. And then, in dead last is Stettinius with 20 points. There's this girl Alice in my grade who says that she'd rather be in dead last than anything other that 1st. At least you've accepted that Merrick is going to win, Alice._

_In case you haven't noticed, I get extremely competitive. This is all part of the fun. _

_And also, if any of you will be in London in November, you're more than welcome to be my room partner, because I have a feeling that I am on nobody's list of people they'd want to room with, which SUCKS. Ugh. Why don't people like me, really, is a good question, because I don't do a damn thing to anybody. Except for he-who-shall-not-be-named (AL knows...she KNOWS). But, yeah. I'm not like a bitch to people. I don't get it._

_Sigh, sigh, sigh. So leave me a pretty little review! I'd love to see 80 since I know you guys can do it since you're amazing! _

_Until next time! __**-Kayson**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: **__Hello, all! I just thought I'd let you guys know what's new with me this week: I found out that I may just suck at writing, I finally feel quasi-normal again, I found out I have a serious addiction to Marina Diamandis, and by some miracle, I am not failing classes! Woo-hoo! _

_I could go on and on about my week and my new theory on how Marlene King & Co. think Toby is Jesus, but I don't think I'm going to go into that. _

_On the other hand, BOO HOO! No Spoby in the Season 4 finale? That pisses me off! It's like tradition to get some epic Spoby scene! You can't ruin tradition. Meh. _

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"Spencer! I know you have a hint of OCD, but I swear, the cake is fine," Toby promised Spencer as she continued to mess with the icing on the cake.

"Really, Spencer, you need to calm down," Jason prompted from behind.

Spencer sighed, stepping away from the cake. "Are you two going to promise not to ruin it?" she asked.

They both nodded in unison. "Yes."

She sighed once more, before she placed it gingerly into a box. She closed it gently, careful not to ruin any of the icing.

"It came out really well, Spence," Jason insisted.

"Thank you, Jason. I worked really hard on it. I hope Cassidy likes it," she replied.

Toby laughed. "Spence, Cassidy is turning one today. I'm pretty sure that if it's cake, she'll like it," he informed her.

Spencer nudged Toby. "Hey. You could at least _pretend _to make me feel better about slaving over it all last night."

Before Toby could respond, Jason nudged him. "Hey, we should bring this over and you can help me with all of the stuff for Cassidy's birthday party. Come on," Jason said before this could escalate into a food fight like last night.

"You can tell Aria I'll be over soon. I just have to get some things cleaned up and I still have to write out her card," Spencer told Jason.

"Sure, Spence!" he called as he and Toby left the room.

* * *

An hour later, Spencer looked at herself in the mirror as she put in her diamond studs. She loved them so much.

She took a deep breath as she looked at herself. Her thoughts wandered as she thought of mirrors, how they looked into different dimensions, and parallels they manifested in her life.

Her reverie was broken when there was a knock at the door.

She opened it up and was shocked as she saw Andrew standing before her. She furrowed her eyebrows, confusion showing itself all across her face.

"Andrew? What are you doing here?" she asked, truly muddled.

"I wanted to talk to you, Spencer," he said.

Spencer reluctantly allowed him in the apartment. She watched him uncomfortably.

"Andrew, I don't want to play games. I already told you everything about Brandon. What do you want?" she asked, calmly, but clearly lacking much patience.

He sighed. "I just keep thinking so much about our son. And it just keeps me thinking of what could've been for the two of us," he said slowly.

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying?" she inquired anxiously.

"I keep thinking about our son and…it makes me want a child."

Spencer continued to look at him with looks of confusion.

"Spencer…I want to have a child together."

It took her a moment to process that statement. Finally, when it went through her mind, she stared at him, wide-eyed.

"What?"

He sighed again. "Thinking about him all the time makes me want a child. And you're the only person I really ever considered having a child with, ever," he said.

She shook her head, flustered. "So let me get this straight. You're telling me that you'd like me to dump Toby so I can have a child with you, who cheated on me all throughout our engagement and abused me on occasion, too," she recapped. "No way! Are you out of your freaking mind?"

"I'm not asking you to break up with him, or for us to be together. I just want to have a child with you," he said.

Spencer shook her head incessantly. "I think you must be on something, Andrew. There's no way in hell that I'm going to have a baby with you," she said before she led him out the door and closed it behind him.

* * *

Hanna held Cassidy in her arms. "Happy birthday, beautiful girl! It's your birthday today," she said, before kissing the little girl on the cheek. Cassidy's cheek turned a little pink, both from her blushing and a stain from Hanna's lipstick.

"Hanna, you look good with a kid. Are you and Caleb getting any ideas?" Aria asked.

Hanna scoffed. "Dream on, Montgomery," she retorted.

"Where is Spencer?" Emily inquired.

"I don't know. Jason said she said she'd be here soon; she just needed to get some stuff done. Why? You seem on edge," Aria noted suspiciously.

Emily sighed. "Hanna and I need to tell you, Aria. We found Chanel the other day in the coffee shop and we confronted her," she began.

"You guys are so great! Did you tell her to back off?" Aria interrupted.

"We told her to give up on Toby, but that Bee-In-The-Curious-Hive didn't want to listen. She kept moaning and complaining about how she's so in love with Toby or some BS like that," Hanna explained, lacking patience to talk about Chanel any longer.

Aria raised an eyebrow. "I'm somehow guessing that you two weren't as calm as you are talking to me right now," she commented.

"Hey! I was not the one who got angry. It was Em, for once," Hanna said before cuddling up to Cassidy.

Needless to say, Aria was surprised that the supposed peacemaker was the one to get mad. "Really? Em, what did you say?"

"Nothing bad, I promise. I just told her to leave them alone, because nothing will ever transpire between her and Toby, anyway," Emily explained.

Aria nodded mockingly, not really believing that. Emily was about to speak in her defense when the apartment door opened and Spencer walked in. Hanna immediately noticed something was wrong with her, and quickly passed Cassidy off to Aria.

"Spence? What's wrong?" Hanna asked with concern, being the first to greet her.

Spencer sighed. "Nothing's wrong." She tried her best to come up with a good lie. "My car just had some problems, but it's not a big deal," she lied simply.

"How did you get here?" Aria asked, as Cassidy reached out to touch Spencer.

Spencer smiled and held Cassidy's hand. She finally turned to Aria. "My car eventually started, but I think I have to bring it in to get checked out," she explained. She kissed Cassidy on the forehead. "Happy birthday!" she cooed sweetly.

"Do you want to hold Cassidy for a minute?" Aria asked.

Before she actually got a chance to answer, Cassidy was handed to her. Cassidy immediately began playing with Spencer's hair. She began mumbling something into Spencer's neck. She loved Spencer so much.

"So what did I miss?" Spencer asked.

Hanna and Emily stood tight lipped as Aria left to go get something for Spencer. Finally, Emily spoke. "Not much. We were just talking about you."

"What about me?"

"You and Toby, mostly," Hanna said.

It wasn't a total lie, since they were talking about them. But they were also talking about a certain blonde who was looking to re-enter Toby's life…

"What about us?" Spencer inquired curiously, nervously, almost.

"Not much. Just about how you guys have been getting closer lately. Is there something you're hiding from us, Spence?" Hanna asked suggestively.

"No! Of course not! Things are exactly the same!" Spencer exclaimed. That was a lie, too. Things were better…but they were worse, too. It was an odd feeling Spencer couldn't explain. She had no doubt that Toby loved her, but she felt them growing apart.

Hanna nodded. "Just checking. But you will let us know when something happens, right?" she asked.

"Hanna! Leave Spencer alone. She'll indulge what she wants about her relationship. But Spencer, I wanted to give this to you," Aria said as she walked back over to the girls. She handed Spencer a black box. Spencer took it with her free hand.

"What is this?" Spencer asked.

"Don't open it right this minute. It's a present from me. You'll understand when you see it."

Hesitantly, Spencer accepted this. She handed Cassidy back over to Aria and looked at the box awkwardly.

* * *

Spencer and Aria watched as Jason and Toby played with Cassidy. Emily, Hanna, and Caleb had left a while ago.

"You can open that box now, if you want to," Aria informed Spencer.

Reluctantly, Spencer looked through her bag and found the box. She opened the box and saw a silver locket.

She looked at Aria, hoping for an explanation. Aria simply responded, "Open it."

Spencer listened and opened the locket. She saw pictures of her and Brandon in the hospital after he was born and another of the two of them, a month or two after he was born. Spencer felt a little dizzy after seeing it.

"I know you're trying really hard to pretend nothing ever happened. It's not healthy, Spence. Brandon was here, and you loved him. I know you're scared that if you open up to Toby about him, it might upset Toby, but…what'll make him more upset is to see you in so much pain. Bottling it all up is worse for you. When you wear it, he'll be close to your heart," Aria explained.

Spencer bit her tongue, not sure how to respond. Aria accepted that this necklace would make her feel uneasy, but did it anyway as some form of shock treatment for Spencer.

"Toby? Can we go now?" Spencer asked as she stood up. Aria let out a small sigh.

* * *

"Are you okay, Spencer?" Toby asked once they arrived home.

She nodded, not really offering much explanation for their sudden leave.

"Can you please get me some tea?" Spencer asked weakly.

This automatically made him suspect something was up. Spencer never requested tea unless she was feeling really awful, either physically or emotionally. "Sure," he replied.

Spencer nodded, her back still to him before she went into their room. Spencer walked into their closet and went to the very bottom of her underwear drawer, a place she knew Toby would never look. She pulled out the familiar box with Brandon's things. She pulled the locket out of her bag and finally allowed herself to cry.

Toby was just pouring the tea as he heard muffled sobs coming from their bedroom. He abandoned the tea on the counter and walked cautiously into the bedroom.

Spencer, meanwhile, was still in the closet, crying profusely. She sniffled one last time, tears still rolling down her face freely, before she put the box into the larger box with remnants of Brandon's life.

Outside, the closet door, which was left ajar, allowed Toby to see it all. His heart slowly broke as he watched Spencer attempt to pick up the pieces of her heart again and store them neatly away.

* * *

**_spoby equals awesomeness: _**_Hmm...you'd think I would've noticed that, right? No, I didn't, for the record. And there are definite obstacles. I promise. _

**_Sarah: _**_Hmm...I'm guessing that now you kind of want to be asking for less, because in a few chapters it's going to be pretty tragic. I don't mean to be so mean, but I guess subconsciously I'm a sadist since I love the angst :P And I think that by the next chapter or two, you'll probably dislike her as much as Wren (unless you don't, which is okay, too, but as a Spoby shipper...not as someone who might just have a crush on Julian Morris)._

**_spobettes: _**_I think that Hanna and Emily should change their occupations on Facebook to "Ball Busters" at "Rosewood, Bitches". Ha. I'm laughing just thinking about it. _

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_Um, that's not volatile at all. And I'll try really hard not to make you angry, but I have a feeling that will be inevitable within this story. I ditch my schoolwork for fanfiction all the time. If any of your teachers ask, just say you're "reading" and "writing". It's technically not a lie :)_

**_AL3110: _**_You were (sort of) right. I was thinking about it, and then when you guessed, I wondered, "Is this too cliché?" And I guess I just went with my gut. Sorry if it was cliché, but I wanted it this way. Oh well. _

**_BirdSingsBells: _**_Thank you very much!_

**_LynnLayne18: _**_I'm glad you thought it was cute. And, hey, you need to be with a couple of bad ones in order to find a real gem. And Em didn't get that nickname "Killer" for nothing ;)_

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_I thought a baking war would be cute. And then I began having flashbacks to Quinn/Puck in Season One of Glee (sorry if I just made a Glee reference and you're just like, IDKKKK). _

**_mickeymack16: _**_Eventually, she will die. I mean, that's kind of inevitable. Eventually, I will die, too. And you. And Spencer. And Toby. But wait a second...if Toby is Jesus...eh, forget everything I just said. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_Yeah, Emily defending her ship! And you know how Hanna feels about them...shippity ship ship. And I don't think Tiffany likes that her name is used for something Toby was gonna give Chanel...I wouldn't be...so Tiffany wouldn't. I love the reincarnation game! _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Thanks!_

**_Sunset13: _**_Andranel might turn into a thing. Should I start making "#TeamAndranel" T-Shirts like they made #teamMERRICK T Shirts for my school house? I think those would be awesome. You can get the first one. _

**_Cheyxoxo385: _**_Well, I updated today! No promises on when the next update will be, though. _

_I realized how awkward I come up in my messages to reviewers, and I promise you I am more awkward in real life. Really, I assure you I am weirder IRL. _

_And also, next time I ever play in the orchestra outside, I solemnly swear to bring clothespins. People in my section had their music blow away and all that...it was pretty funny when it didn't happen in the middle of the big second violin solo. And I got moved to first chair! OMGS. I feel so accomplished. Kind of. But I still want to play the viola. And score a good grade on the SATs. _

_Also, before I go, I should ask if this is a bad thing: I have to sing tomorrow and I have NO FREAKING CLUE what I actually have to sing. I just know the songs: Rumour Has It/Someone Like You (best mashup EVER), Blackbird, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, and On My Own. I have no clue what my part is. Wow, I just realized how much it sucks to be me. _

_And I might have gotten vocal nods recently, so don't talk to me about it. _

_But I have cookies. So I'm good. __**-Kayson**_

_P.S, if any of you are Diamonds, PM me and we can fangirl over her amazingness together :) _

_Also, I'm so happy because I get my $25 tomorrow and I can finally get The Family Jewels! Ahh! This is going to be awesome. _


	10. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: **__Hello. I'm getting through this really quickly because I just did what I call "Lightning packing" which is basically packing a bag in less than fifteen minutes. Woohoo. _

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

She knew she shouldn't have been looking at is phone, or even be tempted by it.

But that curious pit in her stomach egged her on, telling her to look.

As his phone vibrated for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes, she finally picked it up. She found a slew of text messages, all from Tiffany.

_Hey, Toby, I've been thinking a lot about your whole dilemma. We need to talk. _

_Toby! You need to text me back! You can't just ignore what Chanel told you the other day!_

_Toby, if you don't tell Spencer about what happened, I guarantee someone else is going to tell her and she'll be really upset. _

_If you don't tell Spencer, you're going to hurt her! She'll find out eventually._

_Toby, freaking text me back! You can't ignore me!_

_Fine, I see that you're just not going to answer, but you need to tell Spencer about Chanel dropping the l-word on you. It's a big deal, especially since the only person who should be dropping the l-word on you is Spencer!_

_You're going to hurt Spencer! Don't be stupid about this, Toby!_

Spencer tried to process what these urgent texts all meant. The l-word? Chanel said she loved Toby?

Spencer's blood became cold. Why would she say that? When did she even get the chance to say that? Toby ripped up her phone number. When did they meet up?

Above all her other thoughts, one poignant, fearful thought racked Spencer with nervousness throughout her whole body.

_Did he say it back?_

* * *

Toby walked in and found Spencer sitting at the island in their kitchen. She had a glass of red wine to the side, but she was absentmindedly staring at his cellphone, which he had left there by accident. He could tell something was really wrong.

Spencer didn't move or even flinch when he walked in. Toby was almost scared to say something to her.

"You left your phone here this morning," she said, her normally soothing voice harshly cutting through the silence. She was stoic as she took a drink of wine. "Tiffany kept texting you throughout the day. It was almost obsessive," she added calmly.

He didn't even question her picking up his phone. "What did she want?" he asked, a lump rising in his throat due to his nervousness.

"She wanted to talk to you about Chanel."

He felt his heart race. He really hoped she didn't find out about—

"Why didn't you ever tell me about Chanel?"

_Damn it. _

"I…I don't know," he choked out. Spencer let out a small sigh before she looked at an imaginary chip in her nail polish. Toby dropped his things and sat down next to her. "Spencer, she doesn't matter anymore."

Spencer let out a sardonic laugh. "Toby…don't tell me that. I know you want that to be true, but you don't have to pretend. She was your first love, and I know that your first love always has a little piece of your heart," she replied. He wasn't quite sure whether she was sad about this or accepting…or both.

"She doesn't have to have my heart. I want you to have all of it," he replied sheepishly.

"I'm not mad at you about it. I'm just a little sad that you felt you couldn't tell me."

Clearly, it was bothering her more than she was letting on.

He took her hand. He felt her get a little uncomfortable at that, and it honestly hurt him. "Spencer, nothing really transpired at that meeting—"

"Toby, she told you she loved you," she answered sadly.

He thought about that for a minute.

"I only told you that a month or two ago," she said.

Before Toby could process what was happening, Spencer had already gotten her coat and her bag. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going out. Clearly, we both need time to think," Spencer explained.

"Are you coming back?" he inquired nervously.

Spencer saw that he was scared. After a moment of staring, she nodded. "I just need time to think. And I think you do, too."

With that, she was out the door.

* * *

Spencer walked into the bar, shaking water droplets off her body. She was hoping to find a certain hazel-eyed brunette.

To her discontent, she had already clocked out. She was really hoping she could interrogate Tiffany on what Toby had told her.

She decided that it was probably for the best that Tiffany wasn't there; maybe ignorance was bliss. But still, she wanted so badly to know every single gory detail. She hated to admit it, but she was _jealous. _

Of what, she wasn't sure exactly. She _knew _Toby loved her, but…Chanel had some kind of quality that was just kind of mystifying about her. She was just charismatic in a subtle way.

Why was she saying this about someone who would want nothing more than to steal her boyfriend for her own? Spencer suddenly felt ridiculous for thinking of Chanel in this light.

Deciding not to waste the trip to a bar, Spencer flagged down the bartender and ordered a cocktail, which she drank quickly before getting something stronger.

She finally noticed a blue-eyed blonde sitting on the other end of the bar, about four or five stools away. It was pretty empty, being relatively early in the night. She finally realized this girl was the devil she was just speaking of.

"Spencer?" Chanel asked with eager surprise in her voice. "I didn't expect to see you here!" she exclaimed.

Spencer forced a fake smile. "Neither did I," she said rather glumly with mustered enthusiasm. She quickly threw back a shot, the liquor burning down her throat. She ordered two more.

"Are you looking for Tiffany?" Chanel asked knowingly.

Spencer looked over her shoulder at Chanel cautiously. "How did you know?"

Chanel shrugged. "Sometimes I used to go to her for advice on things involving Toby," she said nonchalantly.

Spencer turned to look at Chanel. "What makes you think I'm here because of Toby?"

"Why would you come here to talk to her? I just remember that when I was having issues with him, I'd always go to either Emily or Tiffany for advice, since the blonde didn't like me much," she explained.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "You don't know anything. I just wanted to see Tiffany."

The two shots quickly arrived, and she downed them just as quickly as the first.

"You must be in a lot of trouble," Chanel commented.

"Please just leave me alone," Spencer said bitterly.

"I'm just trying to help you, girl-to-girl. You drank those pretty easily. You and Toby must be having serious problems. What is it about?"

"You!" Spencer snapped in the heat of the moment. "I know about you saying that you loved him."

Chanel didn't really have an explanation for this. She flagged down the bartender and ordered shots for the both of them.

* * *

Toby bit his lip as he waited for Emily's reaction.

"What do you want me to say, Toby?" Emily asked finally.

"Something comforting?" he pleaded. "Anything?" he added, finally.

Emily sighed. "I'm not going to tell you that you didn't screw up; you did. But not for going to meet with Chanel. That was a mature, adult thing to do. What you screwed up on was not telling Spencer the moment it happened. If you had been honest from the start, none of this would've happened," Emily said.

He nodded. "I know. I messed up; this is all my fault. But I don't want this to ruin our whole relationship. What should I do to prove to her that I made a mistake, and I love her?"

"Well, she's probably feeling jealous right now, Toby. Another woman told you she _loves _you. It's not some casual crush or anything; she actually _loves _you."

Toby sighed sadly. "Thanks, Em. You didn't need to rub that in."

"You wanted my honest opinion! Spencer is going to be jealous, which means you really need to articulate how much you love her and care about her. You need to tell her how much you appreciate her presence in your life and how much you need her. Girls want to hear those things. She won't leave you. But if you want things to be the same as they were, you need to talk to her about this, because that's what mature adults do. You can't just push it under the rug."

Toby sighed, but nodded acceptingly. He contemplated some grand gesture of love, so Spencer would know just how much he cared about her.

Emily took a sip of her coffee as she watched him think. She smiled thinking of all the creative, fun ways Toby could (and probably would) apologize.

And that soon made her think of something else.

Finally, logic caught up to Emily, and she was reminded of another dilemma.

"What are you going to say to Chanel?"

Toby sighed just thinking about Chanel. He didn't hate her, per se, but there was bitterness left in him for the way things ended between the two of them. She didn't even have the decency to tell him in person; she left a letter, like a coward, after she had taken all her things with her. He didn't really have any hopes to talk to her again.

"What do I have to say to her?" he asked pessimistically.

Emily scoffed. "Toby, you have to talk to her. If you don't, she'll continue to have festering feelings for you. What happens when those feelings turn into something more and she decides she wants to try her hand at playing the homewrecker?" she asked.

"I'm not going to let that happen," he insisted.

Emily smiled at her friend's naïveté. "Beyond the breath, there is no control. You can't say it'll never happen, because what if it does?" she inquired cleverly.

"I don't want anything to happen between me and Chanel, though!" he exclaimed. "What do you think I should say to her?"

"If you want my honest opinion," she began, dragging out the words for eternity to torture him, "I think that you need to let her down gently. You don't want to turn her into that jilted lover who will try to kill one of you or both of you because she didn't get her man. Let her down easily. But you still need to make it very clear that you have no aspirations to have any connection to her, whatsoever."

"Do I need to do anything else, Doctor Emily?" he asked playfully.

"Buy Spencer flowers, because she deserves them, and if you're looking to apologize, that will certainly soften her up a bit, though you make her soften up a lot already," Emily teased.

Toby nodded with a smile. He was suddenly feeling a lot better about this whole thing.

Maybe things with Spencer _would _work out, and there would be no need to repair his heart once more.

At least, he hoped so.

* * *

_Before I get reamed by anyone, I want everyone to understand that Spencer and Toby are in a very odd position with their relationship right now, so if you were hoping Toby would seriously confront Spencer on what he saw, I'm sorry, but I feel like he would be a bit reluctant to ask her. And I think first, he has to know WHAT exactly she was crying about! I promise, there will be some sort of confrontation on this sometime in the future :)_

**_mickeymack16: _**_I know! I'm so sad. But he probably won't be in the finale, due to Keegan being in NYC for his off-Broadway show. On the other hand, I'd totally love to see him (being as I live an express bus away from a venue where he will be quite often :) ). And I don't think I suck, but my English teacher's philosophy on writers is that people who tend to have excellent grammar are not as obsessive (since they're too busy checking for grammatical errors). But I seem to be doing really well in his class! So far the lowest grade I've gotten on an assessment has been a 95. And read the next reply and I'll explain that Jesus outburst. _

**_Sarah: _**_There are too many similarities between Jesus and Toby. I mean, yes, carpenter brought back from the dead, and aside from that, apparently, they're both lambs for God and Spencer, respectively. Does that mean Spencer is God? I wouldn't be surprised. And thank Julien for the Bee In The Curious Hive. I'll admit, I doubted him at first, but now it's stuck in my head. And I didn't really get to choose the song, that was what my choir was singing. It actually went really well, and I'm glad I have a really loud senior in my section who knows what's going on with everyone. Her name is Noa and my choir teacher says that one day, I'm going to be Noa, so I'll take that as a very good compliment (she really is a very good singer). _

**_bluebird10023: _**_Hmmm...let me think about...nah. _

**_Spobyluver39: _**_It was pretty sad when I was writing it. And I agree. Poor Spence :(_

**_Spobyforever259: _**_To start, a lot of things are wrong with Andrew. And can I just say I love you describing characters? You should really do it for everyone. Tiffany. Go!_

**_AL3110: _**_There is this one character who is going to get pregnant. I can't tell you who it is, though!_

**_Sylviecake231: _**_Ugh...what could you NOT listen to by the amazing Marina Diamandis, AKA Marina and the Diamonds? Well, I wouldn't suggest listening to Mowgli's Road, because it's kind of freaky unless you really understand her style. Some of my personal favorites are: first album would probably have to be- Hermit the Frog, Girls, Guilty, Oh No!, and Seventeen; second album- Lies, Starring Role, Homewrecker; I also really love her song Electra Heart :) How to Be a Heartbreaker is great, but she's so versatile. I don't think I dislike any of her songs. And her covers of Boyfriend (JB) and Starstrukk (3OH!3 ft. Katy Perry) are great. I'll admit I'm not really a fan of either original artist, but Marina makes them amazing. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Yes, trouble is a-brewing! You'd better come back to find out what happens next!_

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_No, Toby knows about her son, but he doesn't realize how much his death still torments her. I think in the last few chapters of Begin Again, Spencer and Toby talk about her son. _

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_Ah, I try not to keep you guys waiting for too long. _

**_vondydora: _**_I think that Andrew is just a very insensitive person. And I think that Aria has the best intentions, but she just has a very different tactic of dealing with this situation and Spencer. Toby will not just ignore it, but I think that there's something yet to happen (or just happened in this chapter) that will change the dynamic between the two yet again. _

_Is it too much to hope for that I get 105 reviews? I would love that so much! So I definitely can't update tomorrow (I'm coming home and right after I come home, I'm going to visit my uncle in OC, so that'll take a while. I'm going with my BFF Michelle, who I've mentioned a zillion and one times). I can try to update on Saturday, but I don't promise anything. I know one day over the weekend, my grandma, uncle, Michelle and I are going out for my grandma's birthday, so that should be fun. I think I've just delved into my personal life like wayyy too much, but I feel really comfortable around you guys! You're just so awesome to talk to!_

_See you next time! __**-Kayson**_


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Spencer looked around at the many, many blurry shapes all around her.

"Wait, so…you were his first?" Spencer slurred. Even through the slur, she was a little saddened. Then again, he wasn't her first.

Chanel nodded. "He was so sweet about it all. I really hate that I never realized how sweet he really was while we were dating. I was too busy trying to have it all. I never appreciated what was right in front of me," Chanel answered in perfect English.

Spencer let out a small, sad smile. "Sometimes, I feel that way, too. I feel like a bad girlfriend. I mean, he always tells me about how much he loves me…he buys me flowers…he paints me pictures…I feel like I'm his everything and he's just an adjunct in my life," she slurred.

Chanel tutted in disapproval. "You know, I felt the exact same way. Maybe it's not us. Maybe it's him. Maybe it's all a show, Spencer. I mean, do you think that he really thinks of us that much? Maybe he's just the kind of person who wants their girlfriend in the palm of their hand," she suggested.

Even though she was very drunk, Spencer shook her head, denying it immediately. "No, he's not the type. He loves me."

"And I thought he loved me, too. He was ready to propose to me!" she slipped.

Spencer looked at her strangely, almost sadly, though her mind was so clouded up. "Wait…when did you guys break up?"

"A few years ago?"

Spencer shrugged. "He's moved on," she said.

Chanel sighed, unsatisfied. "Still. I think he might be acting like a saint. He was always too good to be true," Chanel explained over the music in the bar.

Spencer thought about it for a minute, very sad about the whole idea.

* * *

Toby sat and stared at the Star of Bethlehems in a vase on the table.

He had hope. He had hope that Spencer would come home soon and they would quickly make up. He had hope that they would move on from this. He had hope that she would realize he never loved anyone more. He had hope that she loved him enough to abandon the past.

He sighed, listening to the clock tick loudly on the wall. It was agitating him with each second.

He began playing with his hands and throwing occasional glances at the clock.

After he had been waiting for at least an hour and it was well past midnight, he began to hear jingling on the doorknob from outside. About five seconds later, a very drunk Spencer fell into the apartment, grabbing the doorknob for support. She slid onto the ground, falling back on the door. She groaned slightly.

"Spencer?" he asked cautiously.

Spencer groaned, taking her shoes off tiredly and sloppily. She threw them near the coat closet, proceeding to crawl to their bedroom while mumbling something.

Toby followed her into their bedroom, attempting to help her proceed the simplest of tasks, but she quickly shooed him away.

"I can do bad all by myself," she mumbled, her eyes drooping closed.

He watched her with concern as she stumbled around the room, finally falling back onto the bed.

"Hey, I need to tell you something," she said clearly as he attempted to pick up some of her clothes.

"What is it, Spence?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence as it sounded like Spencer was thinking.

"I need to talk to Toby."

* * *

Toby held Spencer for a few minutes after he woke up.

He had just been watching her sleep very peacefully, undisturbed. He was troubled with what he saw last night.

He wondered if Spencer possibly had an issue with alcohol. He never wanted to accuse her of being alcoholic, but he was worried about her. He knew she had issues with alcohol after her son died, and lately, it had been showing up again.

He was most concerned with whether or not she was happy. Lately, she seemed sort of happy, but it seemed very…forced. He never wanted her to feel like she was stuck in this relationship. Even if it killed him, he would let her go if that was what she really wanted.

The thought pained him so much. He just held her closer, as if he wanted her to realize in her sleep how much he never wanted to let her go.

"Toby?" a pained Spencer called out.

Toby opened his eyes, breaking out of his daydream. He almost unwrapped his arms from around her, but she grabbed onto him tighter. It allowed Toby to breathe out a small sigh of relief.

"Spencer?" he asked.

"Did we go out last night?" Spencer inquired, clearly hungover.

"No, but you did. And you said you needed to talk to me last night, but we don't need to now, Spencer. I think you should just rest," Toby insisted before he got up to draw the curtains closed. Knowing from firsthand experience how much the light hurt when hungover, he kept the room as dark as possible.

Spencer smiled, thinking of how sweet he was. "Can you come back and hold me?" she asked after he closed the curtain.

He nodded, quickly jumping back into their bed and holding her. She let out a comfortable sigh.

Still, he was worried that there was something seriously wrong.

* * *

A few hours later, when Spencer had become sober enough to recall what happened the previous night, she finally stepped out into the main apartment. Of course, the first things to catch her eye were the Star of Bethlehem flowers sitting on the kitchen island.

"These are so gorgeous!" she exclaimed as she got a better view.

He smiled, glad that she liked them. She picked them up immediately to smell them. She then placed them perfectly on the dining room table.

"They're so perfect," she commented absentmindedly. "Why did you get them?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I wanted them as a peace offering. I really wanted to talk to you."

Spencer sat down at the table, waiting for him to say more. He sighed as he sat down kitty-corner from her.

"I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you about Chanel. I wanted to, but…I don't know, Spence. I don't want this to affect our relationship, because I love you so much. But I'm worried about you. You seemed really upset about something yesterday. And I caught you the other day," Toby said vaguely.

Spencer let out a nervous laugh. "What? Caught me?"

"I caught you crying in the closet. What's wrong? Is everything okay?" he asked, taking her hand.

Spencer wriggled free. "Yes, I'm fine. Toby, nothing was going on the other day," she retorted somewhat harshly.

Toby watched her, confused as he watched her walk back into their bedroom, closing the door softly. It wasn't a door slam, but he kind of wished it was, just so he would be clear on where she stood—right now, things were just unclear for the both of them.

* * *

Spencer contemplated going out, uncharacteristically wanting to avoid Toby on his day off. But suddenly, the sun hid away and dark storm clouds festered over Rosewood. Those plans had gone out the window.

Spencer sighed as she walked out of the bedroom, pulling her sweater closer to her small frame. Toby looked up from the crossword, hoping Spencer would finally be willing to talk.

Spencer went into the fridge to get a water bottle. She observed Toby wearily, not saying anything to him. She kept thinking about what Chanel had said…that Toby was acting.

"Do you really love me?"

Toby looked at her, very confused. "Of course, I do. Why would you even ask that?" he answered easily.

She stared at him for a moment longer. Certainly, her question had caught him off-guard and rattled his nerves, but she couldn't tell much more. She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Are you having doubts about this relationship?" he asked with concern.

She shrugged again. "I don't know," she repeated.

"This is kind of sudden. You were perfectly fine last week," he commented.

Though he realized that with the mood she was in, this comment would likely be met with a bitter comeback, Spencer acted indifferent. "I'm just starting to wonder about my life, I guess. I'm starting to wonder what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I don't want to play games," she insisted.

He frowned. "Do you think I'm playing games with you?" he inquired sadly.

She sighed. "Given my track record, it just makes me really nervous. I don't want to relive my past relationships. They were self-harming," she explained.

"I'm not playing games with you, Spence. I _promise _you that that isn't what this is. I love you so much and I would never want to hurt you."

Though she tried very hard to ignore what Chanel had said the other day, she couldn't help but think of it in the very back of her mind. It agitated her.

Finally, she nodded, accepting this explanation. She began to walk back towards the room. She stopped outside the door, glancing back over at Toby, who looked at her sadly. She turned back and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Toby, I believe you," Spencer whispered against his lips.

She could feel a smile spread across his lips. That made her smile, as she realized it was right.

"I love you, too," she answered softly.

And she finally believed it.

* * *

Ugh, he knew he shouldn't have been looking.

But there was curiosity lingering in his mind. Yes, he felt guilty about looking where he shouldn't, but it didn't keep the inquisitiveness from flourishing.

He looked back at the door of the closet, hoping that he would hear Spencer come back and that he would have a viable excuse for not following through with his interest.

He knew it was wrong.

Still, he braced himself and looked for the box which Spencer had been shedding tears over just a day ago. He finally found it among her undergarments, buried under a bunch of knee-high and thigh-high socks.

He bit his lip as he pulled it out and put it on the floor in front of him. He became nervous just looking at it. He wondered just how much pain this could've possibly caused the love of his life.

Finally, he just decided to open the box. He saw all of the pictures and mementos of her son, or who he assumed her son to be. He never actually saw her son, or even saw her very pregnant, but he could just imagine. Looking at her son, he could see his features easily in his face. He had a smile much like his mother's.

He just thought that he couldn't even begin to imagine all the pain Spencer had to endure while looking at this box filled with bittersweet memories.

Outside, he heard the door open to the apartment, and he heard Spencer enter with a sigh. Quickly, he scrambled to put the box back properly, as if he was never even there.

A minute later, as Toby had finally gotten up and was about to leave the closet, Spencer appeared in the doorway.

"I got the takeout. We can watch a movie," she suggested.

He nodded with a slight smile. "Sounds great. I'll be right out.

She smiled and left the room.

He looked over his shoulder at the drawer, thinking about the box once more.

* * *

_Onto those reviews!_

**_Sunset13: _**_I don't know if a smackdown, per se, will happen between those two, since I don't think they're that immature, but a serious talking-to will definitely happen. One day. _

**_Sarah: _**_All in all, I'd say that the whole scenario between Chanel and Spencer could've ended up much worse, had Chanel been more of an evil, twisted person. Tiffany is so wise. I feel so weird hearing that because she's (supposedly) based off of me and I don't think I've ever been called wise. Maybe she's not actually based off of me. I don't know anymore!_

**_mickeymack16: _**_I know! I'm so sad! It's like tradition that there's some really cute/important Spoby moment in all the season finales! They're breaking tradition! And my grades might be good, but I wish I had the grades of these two kids in my classes, Trip and Wesley. This is going to sound kind of racist, but these stereotypes exist for a reason. Both of them are Asian, and I think they're both two of the smartest people I have ever met. They get like 100 on everything. They are going to graduate as valedictorian and salutatorian. I just know it. They're just geniuses. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_Tiffany's probably like "whaaaaat?" when Spencer finally talks to her about this and then she'll be like, "Crap, I can't believe I'm the one who told her!" I love writing for Tiffany. She's probably my second favorite reincarnate (right after Selena Alexandra Rose, who will probably be introduced into the world in [I really hope] June-ish). I just love writing her. She is absolutely loyal and very open about her opinion. I promise Tiffany and Chanel have an awesome confrontation. _

**_CarsasaAllakay: _**_Just to confirm, yes, I'm fourteen and will be fifteen in March. I am a freshman in high school. Just laying that out right now, so there are no more surprises for anyone. I'm not twenty or whatever and spending a lot of time with fanfiction. I am a socially inept, basically friendless teenager who has six people she actually considers friends (not counting her mother and her computer). Are we good? Cool. Moving on. Yes, I will check out your story (I didn't even see that you had a story! I try to look at the stories of most of my readers since they're all just damn awesome). _

**_AL3110: _**_You're a psychic? Do you have clairvoyance or something? And yeah, good luck with getting me to tell, because I WON'T. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Hmm, bad things will happen. BAD things. _

**_Samsterhamster118: _**_What? Um, I guess you press that line next to the centered button on the document editor bar/whatever it is my mouse is hovering over right now? I don't know if this is even what you're asking, but it might be, so...yeah..._

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_Ha, good one. "Lightning packing"...Chanel needs to do that. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_Gah, I love Marina and the Diamonds so much. She is just so cool. I even love her in interviews. I never get bored with any of her songs. Her voice is just amazing. I'm sorry, but once I start with Marina and the Diamonds, I can't stop with her. And keep guessing! I'm really curious to see who everyone thinks it is! I've gotten people thinking it'll be Hanna, Spencer, or Chanel. Quite an interesting list, if you ask me. I'm very intrigued by everyone's speculations. Not confirming or denying any of these, though..._

**_Guest (byebyeandrew): _**_Hmm, I'll think about making Chanel nice. I think that sometimes, she's a bitch without realizing it. Obviously, in this chapter, she was trying to screw with Spencer and Toby's relationship, but I think she just has something which makes her less capable of recognizing people's social cues of when to BACK THE HELL OFF. I'm trying to develop her character, and I'm trying to get everyone to see where she's coming from with loving Toby, but I think a lot of people are just like, "BURN THIS BITCH AT THE STAKE! SHE'S RUINING SPOBY!"_

**_Guest (Crazy Chick): _**_Hey, Crazy Chica! Where have you been?_

**_Guest: _**_Oh, look at that! I updated! Right after you reviewed, too. _

**_vondydora: _**_Toby's smart; he realizes that Spencer doesn't do these things out of jealousy or spite. It's just her curiosity piquing interest, and he can't blame her for it. He knows Spencer is too smart to fall for jealousy and let it get the best of her. I feel Spencer's actions were very smart, and she didn't want Toby to see her in this kind of light, so she got out of the situation, which is both smart and a little bit maddening at the same time. I feel like the best relationships are ones where both parties will let the other see them at the most vulnerable of times, and I still don't think Spencer is ready for that. And things will get more complicated. Complications, complications. _

_Do any of you guys have iPhones and just get these group MMSs where you have no idea who half the people in the conversation are? As we speak, I am getting texts about this party that is supposedly happening on September 16th. I'm so confused, like this already happened. What is this? And even if it's October, that would be a Wednesday, which is a really awkward day of the week to have a party. And I also have no friends, so I'm probably not going. See how my life sucks sometimes? Like, forget this. Bump all of that. Ugh. It sucks being a social outcast sometimes. _

_And about you guys replying that I should stop thinking so lowly of myself as a writer, I'm well aware that I'm better than about 70% of people my age at writing (at least), but I don't want to be one of those people who are like, "I'm so fantastic" or "I'm better than most people." You guys also know how I feel about hype. I don't like it. I'm not going to say things like, "OMG, the next chapter is epic!" only to have you guys be so excited and then you're just like, "Well, this wasn't as cool as I thought it would be."_

_So, here are some personal hashtags: #LonerKayson, #Kayson+Fanfiction, #Kayson+her computer, #UnhypedKayson, #I'llBeYourInternetFriendKayson. The last one makes me feel all happy inside :) But if not, well...okay... __**-Kayson**_


	12. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note: **__I realize that last time, I forgot to put a beginning author's note, and then soon after, learned that you're apparently not supposed to do that. Oh, well. Deal with it. I know you guys love and hate me at the same time. Love me because come on...I'm freaking adorable. You can even tell even though I'm pretty sure most of you have never seen me before. And hate me because I basically have your heart in the palm of my hand and I like to torture you because I'm secretly a sadist._

_Just kidding. But really, you do love-hate me. I KNOWS. _

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Spencer was just about ready to meet Hanna for lunch when the doorbell rang. She was pretty surprised, considering she wasn't expecting any company.

She opened up the door, groaning when she saw her ex-fiancé.

"What do you want, Andrew?" she asked without any patience.

"I just wanted to know what you thought about the offer," he said persistently.

Spencer sighed. "The answer is no, no, no, hell no. I'm not going to have a child with you! If you want one so much, why don't you adopt? Or find someone who's willing to have a kid with you? I don't know. Andrew, I don't want to have a child with you. Yes, I got pregnant, and yes, I do wish that I never lost Brandon, but that doesn't mean I want to have another kid with you," she insisted.

"So what? Now you're scared to get pregnant? You need to face a fear."

"No, I'm not. I just don't want _your _child," she said bluntly. "And being pregnant is not like lightning—you're not going to get over that fear by being pregnant," she responded as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Spencer—"

"No, Andrew, you really need to leave me alone. I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."

"Selling? When did this turn into a business transaction?"

"I don't know. When did everything in your life turn into a business transaction?" she asked sharply. "Aren't you forgetting that that's when we started falling apart in the first place?"

He thought about it. Spencer abruptly pushed him out the door and locked it behind him.

* * *

Emily walked into Aria's apartment, finding it seemingly empty except for the little girl who was sitting on the floor, playing with some colorful building blocks.

"Hello?" she asked, confused.

Aria stepped out of her bedroom, fixing a long chain earring in her ear. She smiled at Emily.

"Hey. Thank you so much for taking care of Cassidy while I'm on this date. I just don't feel like I've seen Jason one-on-one in…forever," Aria explained with a laugh.

"Don't mention it. Both of you deserve it. You guys are doing such a great job raising Cassidy. You deserve a night out," Emily replied with a smile. Cassidy looked over at the sound of her name. She began crawling towards Aria.

Aria bent down and picked her up. "I'll see you later, Cass," she said before kissing the little girl on the cheek. "I love you!" Aria said.

Cassidy smiled at Aria before Aria handed her off to Emily.

"You've taken care of Cassidy before, so you know where her stuff is and the numbers and everything. I'll be back later," she added, but didn't move from her spot.

"Aria, you're going to be late! I've got Cassidy; I promise. We'll be fine," Emily insisted.

Aria gave a sad smile. "Okay. I just don't want to—"

"Go, Aria!"

* * *

Spencer sighed as Hanna pushed back a piece of her best friend's hair. Caleb quickly came over with water for the two of them.

"What happened, Spencer?" Hanna asked, her voice sodden with concern.

Spencer sighed once more. "I don't know what to say about it…Andrew wants to have a baby."

Hanna and Caleb's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. "With you? Is he out of his freaking mind?"

"That's what I said," Spencer replied.

"If he wants to have a baby, he could use a surrogate or adopt or get an egg donor or…I don't know…use Chanel or something. Why would he ask you that?" Hanna inquired.

"Maybe he thinks that it's subtly asking me if I'll break up with Toby and choose him instead," Spencer speculated.

Caleb finally spoke. "You already chose Toby over him. What makes him think that you'll suddenly change your mind?"

"I don't know. He's always been a little…arrogant," she explained.

Hanna put her hand protectively on Spencer's. "We'll all always be here for you," she reminded her.

Spencer smiled slightly. "I know, Han."

"Are you going to tell Toby about all of this?" Caleb inquired nervously. He had both of their interests at heart. Over time, he had grown to truly love Spencer, and Toby was his best friend.

Spencer bit her lip nervously. "I want to, but…I almost feel like I can't now. He didn't even tell me about Chanel. It makes me wonder if he realizes how deep we're in this relationship. I thought we told each other everything, but…I guess not…"

"Spencer, don't say that. You and Toby both love each other a lot. He was just scared. Believe me. I know this, as a guy…he made a mistake," Caleb said defensively over Toby.

Spencer contemplated this for a moment.

* * *

Aria and Jason both walked alongside through the dark Rosewood streets.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked impatiently.

"I told you it's a secret," he insisted.

She sighed. "I know, but the suspense is killing me here, Jason. Wait a minute, you're not bringing me to the woods to kill me, are you?" she inquired, only half-kidding.

"You're so morbid sometimes," Jason answered dismissively.

She laughed in response. They continued their slow walk down the dark block until they reached a grassy little space overlooking the water. It wasn't really a beach, but more like a riverbank. The mouth of the river poured out into the ocean, and skimming the ocean was the moon, which glowed a pretty bluish-white color, glowing in the dark, star-splattered sky. The reflection of the moon rippled in the water, and the light stretched all down the river.

"Wow. This is beautiful. How did you know how gorgeous this would look?" she asked, still in awe at the beauty of the scene. "I wish I had my camera…" she commented absentmindedly.

"We could just sit down and stargaze?" Jason suggested hopefully.

Aria smiled and nodded. She took his hand. "I like that Idea."

They lay down on the grass. Jason loved that Aria didn't really care about her hair or dress or anything like that; she was simple in those regards.

In his pocket, he picked out a particular object. He looked at it in his hand, examining the square cut sparkling stone. The moonlight caught it beautifully, making it glisten brightly. He looked at Aria's hand, which was in his. Absentmindedly, he placed the ring on Aria's ring finger. Aria finally figured out what he was doing.

She sat up abruptly, examining her finger. She was unsure about what he was trying to do.

"Jason…?" she inquired, hoping to get an explanation.

"Do you like it?" he asked simply.

Still confused, she nodded. "Yes, but…what is this?"

"An engagement ring," he answered plainly.

She sat, her mouth agape. "What are you trying to say?" she inquired nervously.

"I'm trying to say that it fits perfectly, and it's up to you if you want to keep it. We're pretty much already a family. Why not just make it official?" he asked. Though he seemed too nonchalant about all of this, he was just as nervous as any other guy, worried that she might reject him. But he had a lot more to lose.

Every passing moment of silence made him grow more and more nervous.

"It fits perfectly…" she commented, not really giving him an answer. "And it's beautiful."

He studied her, trying to read her expression. "So will you marry me, Aria? I know this isn't how things usually happen; you're supposed to date, then get engaged and get married, and then have a kid. But I guess we're different," he said. They both knew it was just idle talk, stalling for time.

"I guess we are different; we had a kid, then started dating, then got engaged and married, and hopefully will have another child or two," she responded with ease.

At first, he didn't realize what she had just said. Suddenly, he realized what she just implied. "Is that a yes?" he inquired hopefully.

She nodded before she kissed him.

It wasn't a typical engagement, either, but like the rest of their relationship, neither of them would change a single thing about it.

* * *

Spencer walked back in the apartment and saw Toby reading, seemingly on edge. He looked up, seeing Spencer.

"Spencer, we really need to talk," he insisted.

"I know. We do need to talk," she agreed.

He was surprised to hear her say that, but didn't let that distract from what he really needed to talk to her about.

"We need to talk about you. In this relationship, what I want is to be the person you come for for everything; I want to be the person to which you talk about your greatest accomplishments; I want to be the person you go to when you need someone to hold you during the hardest times; I want to be the person who you can talk to about anything. I don't want you to feel scared about anything in your life. You already know how much I love you, and nothing you say to me could change that," he insisted.

She let out a small sigh, wishing that those words were the absolute truth; there was no point in trying to argue since each argument was automatically invalid. "It's not that simple."

He sighed. "Has it been bothering you lately? A-about Brandon?" he stuttered slightly.

She looked at him, her brown eyes filling with emotion. "A little," she mumbled. "His first birthday would've been a few weeks before Cassidy's," she explained sadly.

"I want to be here to help you through that, Spencer. I don't care how much you cry in front of me. It breaks my heart, but I would do anything to help you because I love you that much. Helping you deal with your past is the only way that we can really move forward in all of this."

She nodded. "I know," she said before she sniffled, trying to pull back from tearing up. "But it's just so hard. I mean, as much as you may try, Toby, you could never understand this, and sometimes…it's just easier to forget about it until I'm alone," she confessed.

"It's not healthy to deal with it alone, Spencer. I don't want you to feel alone," Toby said.

She sat down, and he followed quickly in suit. She placed her head on his shoulder, tears flowing out freely now.

"I don't even know how I feel. Some days, I wish that I was never pregnant and none of it ever happened, but others…God, I just wished he was here. He was my son, and I loved him, even though he was only around for a few months," she explained.

He rubbed her on the arm, trying to comfort her. She closed her eyes.

"I just wish the pain would go away…but I know it never will. It sucks that I can never get rid of the emptiness in my heart."

He bit his lip, giving Spencer a kiss on the head.

"I wish that I could take your pain and give you my unconditional love in its place," he said softly.

* * *

_I got that last quote from Vanessa Lengies. That was what she tweeted after Cory Monteith's death, and that quote just makes me feel all heartbroken but also kind of warm and fuzzy. _

_Also, a personal thank-you to Sylviecake231 for that whole using-Chanel line. _

**_Sarah: _**_I'm going to say something, and I hope you don't take this personally or anything (because from your reviews, I can tell that we'd probably get along irl), but I almost find it a little bit hypocritical (and it's not just you, I think some other people said this, too) that readers are so okay with Spencer looking at Toby's phone, but they're ready to shout abuse (almost...not quite...well...I don't know how to say it) at Toby for seeing the source of Spencer's pain. In essence, it's just about the same thing. Both of them are invading the others' privacy and being dishonest about it. I mean, eventually, they get over it and come clean, but you know, it started out the same. And um, you were right!_

**_LynnLayne18: _**_Aww, you're really too nice. But I mean what I say when I really see a lot of my own writing in yours, which makes me happy, but I really think yours is better. I'm too fond of purple prose for my own good, and a lot of my writing can get pretty redundant. And what I really want to do with this story and with all of my stories is keep it as real as possible. It really ticks me off when the two of them have a fight and it dissipates over like half a chapter. People don't get over it that quickly. At least, Spencer and Toby would not. They're both pretty stubborn (Spencer more so than Toby, but he can be stubborn, too). You're kind of reminding me about what the Calculus teacher said about Nicholas Sparks novels- they're unbelievably sappy and oozing romance, but they're very human and real. I think my writing is kind of like that, more so than some of the other writers on this site, except I don't think I have as much romance in my stories. Angst, I'd say. But still, the romantic parts are incredibly sappy. Sorry. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_It's acting. Hmm, maybe she could be an actress or something. Maybe she could be like my bad reincarnate or something...she kind of reminds me of my primadonna, my homewrecker, the teen idle side of me...God, I need to stop taking ideas from Marina Diamandis! But thanks for that idea. And I sort of agree with you, but I also think it's somewhat better that Toby wants to know. Spencer realizes he cares a lot about her through this, and in the end, it's really not better to keep it all bottled up. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_I hope this was appeasing for you :)_

**_BirdSingsBells: _**_A lot of people, actually. Are you the same person with that avatar on the wikia? (I'm sorry, I don't remember your username, if that's you) I just wanted to say I'M SORRY that people are trolling all over the Spoby/Toby Cavanaugh page and attacking people like us. I mean, I know we're not martyrs, but STILL. Like, really, do you have nothing better to do than troll those pages? I'm not spamming the Ezria or Jaria pages or whatever ships they like. And if that's not you...sorry, I'm awkward. _

**_mickeymack16: _**_That reminds me, today as we were leaving school, our Bio teacher let us out like five minutes early (she just got engaged, and I think she was sort of on cloud nine for today...she tolerated more stupid than usual). This kid Ryan tells Trip (the smartest person I think I've ever met), "Trip, you remind me of a normal kid, but...Asian." And then Wesley, the other Asian kid (who claims he's not as smart as Trip because Trip actually studies and he doesn't) says, "You're like Super Asian." That's going to be his superhero nickname. _

**_Sunset13: _**_I'm sorry, but I was so confused throughout that entire review. Please refresh my memory so I can remember. What about one day? And what? I thought both your stories were AU. What? I'm confused._

**_Guest (Crazy Chick): _**_Girl, I feels you. I gots ya. _

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_Yesss I'm fourteen, turning fifteen in March :) And Chanel might ruin stuff. Temporarily, at least. _

**_AL3110: _**_Al, you're spammin' up mah page. Quit spammin'. But continue theorizing, cause you might just get it right. _

_So I need to continue fangirling over various things: Spoby, Marina and the Diamonds, Catching Fire, Jennifer Lawrence...the usual. And I think I may be addicted to oreos. Did you know that they're as addictive as Cocaine and Heroin? What is in those? It kind of makes me scared. _

_But, yup, please leave me your beautiful, beautiful reviews, because they really brighten my day, which I will need tomorrow after I come home, probably half-dead from PE class. _

_And if any of you have any un-weird questions about me, I'd be happy to answer. And un-weird=not stalkerish. If anyone asks me where I live, what my street address is, apartment number, school I go to, any of that, I will report you and ignore you, because that's creepy. _

_So favorite, follow, review! __**-Kayson**_


	13. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note: **__I'm so weird...so, so, SO weird. I don't know why I'm surprised that nobody likes me. But whatever. I'm happy anyway. This girl got a 96 on her history test and she will take that. And 100 on the math test she was flipping her crap over! Oh mah goodness. Go, Kayson. _

_But I'm sure you don't care all that much. I know who you are and what you want. Stay online so I can trace your IP Address. _

_No, I promise I'm not a stalker. _

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Spencer woke up with a groggy feeling. The grogginess was soon wiped away when she smelt coffee wafting throughout the apartment.

She looked over and saw Toby already drinking coffee, with a second cup beside him. He handed it over to her when she walked over.

She smiled at him, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you," she answered.

"What are you doing today?" he asked.

She thought about it. "I'm going to teach a few classes and then I'm going to see Tiffany, Hanna, and Aria. Aria really wanted to see us. She didn't say why, though. She just sounded really excited over the phone," she explained.

He nodded. He had been thinking about what he was going to do all day, and he had a very good idea of who was going to help him with this task.

"I'd better go get ready," she said, breaking him out of his daydream, before they kissed each other softly in the lips.

He became very excited in his own thoughts once he saw her leave the room.

* * *

"What big thing are you planning?" she asked impatiently.

"Can you calm down for five seconds? I'll show you in a minute, but I have to get it out of the safe deposit box. Just wait here for me, okay? And then I'll show you," he explained.

She sighed, agitated. She waited outside, examining her nails and cuticles as he went into the safety deposit box room.

Another five minutes later, he came back out, holding the object he had searched for. She began to get very excited, hardly being able to wait when he held the object away, taunting her.

"Show me, show me, show me, show me!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down from excitement.

He finally showed her.

She looked at the object in amazement, her blue eyes sparkling, filling with some kind of admiration.

"She's going to love it, Toby."

* * *

When Spencer arrived at the café, Tiffany and Aria were already talking at a table near the window. Aria brightened when she saw Spencer walk up to the table. She immediately got up to hug Spencer and greet her, as did Tiffany.

"Hey, guys," she said to both of them as she sat down across from Aria, next to Tiffany. "Where is Cassidy today?" she asked curiously, making conversation.

"She's having a day with her daddy," Aria explained. Tiffany and Spencer both nodded.

"So what did you want to say to us?" Tiffany asked finally.

Aria bit her lip. "I want to wait until Hanna gets here. I want to tell you all together," she said before taking a sip of lemon water.

Tiffany rolled her eyes slightly. Still, she played along, turning to interrogate Spencer. "So, what's up with you, Spence?" she asked curiously. She wondered if Toby had said anything about Chanel, but she suddenly realized that Spencer might not say anything with Aria right there.

Spencer shrugged. "Not much," she lied. It was a big, fat lie, too. Things with her life were certainly _far _from calm.

Aria tapped her fingernails on the plastic glass when she saw Hanna walk into the café. She began to get excited when the blonde finally spotted them and started walking over.

"You sounded so excited on the phone!" Hanna exclaimed when she spotted Aria and sat down. She finally took notice of Spencer and Tiffany. "Hey, guys," she greeted. "So what did you want to tell us all?"

Aria smiled, taking a deep breath. "I'm really excited to tell you guys, and I hope you'll all be happy for me," she said. She sighed, looking down, under the table at something before she spoke again. "I just wanted you girls to be the first to know that Jason proposed to me, and we're getting married," she said.

Hanna, Spencer, and Tiffany all smiled at Aria, who proudly showed them the ring. Hanna's mouth dropped open when she saw it.

"Oh, my God. Aria! This ring is _gorgeous_! It's not big, but man, is it beautiful," she commented. She took it off of Aria's finger, examining it meticulously. "This ring is beautiful. It's a 14 karat precise white gold band with a half-carat stone, princess cut, and pear shaped accents on the side. It's Internally Flawless, and colorless. The clarity is amazing. This is a beautiful ring, Aria, and you'd _better _take good care of it, or you will be hearing from me," Hanna warned as she handed the ring back to Aria, who put it back on her own hand quickly.

"Thanks, Hanna," Aria said sharply. Hanna shrugged.

Spencer, on the other hand, was a little bit unbelieving of the news. "I can't believe it; you're getting married," she said.

Aria nodded. "And Spencer? I wanted to ask you if you would be my maid of honor."

Hanna averted her eyes from girl to girl, excitedly. She was waiting for Spencer to say yes. Tiffany also watched anxiously.

Spencer simply nodded. Aria got up to hug her.

"Thank you so much. This is going to be great," Aria said to her.

Spencer nodded numbly, wondering what she got herself into. Sure, it would be fun, but was she really ready to deal with all the stress?

* * *

Tiffany walked into the bar, spotting Emily, Caleb, and Toby already there. She had left right from her meeting with Aria, Hanna, and Spencer and come right to the bar.

She hugged Emily from behind, catching her by surprise. Emily yelped in surprise before Tiffany moved on to greeting Caleb and Toby.

"Did you know that Aria got engaged?" Tiffany asked, taking a spot in between Toby and Emily.

"Hey to you, too," Emily said. "And yeah. I was the first to know. I was babysitting Cassidy when I saw the huge rock on her finger," she replied.

Tiffany looked at Toby and Caleb expectantly, looking for a surprised look or shock from one of them.

"Jason told us yesterday," Caleb answered nonchalantly.

Tiffany backhandedly smacked Toby, the nearest person. "And I'm the last to know? Thanks, guys. I thought I was in the loop."

"You were, until you went to the dark side and started hanging out with the girls more than us," Caleb retorted.

"You betrayed me first, okay? You started hanging around my husband more than me. I thought the five of us were best friends," she insisted.

Emily calmed them both down. "Hey, are you guys forgetting why we're here?" she asked. She finally looked over at Toby. "Toby wanted to tell us something. Toby?"

Toby sighed. He was sort of dreading announcing this, worried about the response his idea would get. Finally, he just got out with it.

"I was thinking of proposing to Spencer," he said.

There was silence, the only noise being the irrelevant one coming from the chatter of the people around them.

Finally, Caleb spoke. "Really? That's great," he said noncommittally.

"I'm happy for you, Toby. Do you think she'll say yes?" Emily asked.

Toby thought about it for a minute. "I hope so…" he trailed off.

"Wow…everybody is making me look bad. I mean, Jason's proposing to Aria…Shane and Tiffany are already married…Toby is proposing to Spencer…" Caleb began.

"…And I'm still single," Emily added drearily.

Toby looked down at his lap. Tiffany didn't look over at him, but touched the drink before her.

"What ring did you get?" Tiffany asked quietly.

Toby looked up at her. "What?" he inquired, a little shocked by her very unenthusiastic reaction.

"What ring did you get?" she repeated.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her, wondering where this was going. He fished a box out of his jacket pocket, handing it to Tiffany.

Tiffany took it very gingerly. She looked at the red velvet box and let out a sigh of relief—this was a good start. Holding her breath, she opened up the box, spotting the beautiful antique ring she was hoping to see. It was more gorgeous than she remembered, with a flawless white gold band and a beautiful round-cut diamond fixed in the center of the ring. There were many details surrounding the centered flawless diamond, with smaller stones fixed in the pattern. Tiffany took this all in as she stared at it. She smiled.

"I think she'll like it, and I can't believe her not saying yes," she responded softly, closing the box and handing it back to Toby.

Toby smiled, relieved. Tiffany smiled at him reassuringly, hoping to ease Toby's nerves.

* * *

Spencer sighed, hoping to calm down and finally fall asleep. Right after her meeting with the girls, she had come home, taken a shower, and tried to go to sleep.

Yes, she was very happy for Aria and Jason.

Yes, she was under an unbelievable amount of stress right now.

Yes, she was undeniably in love with Toby.

Yes, she was starting to believe all the things Chanel was whispering in her ear.

For so long, she had said to herself softly that he was too good to be true. Of course, this statement was swept under the rug. She never thought much of it until Chanel brought it to her attention. She never really believed that he _was _too good to be true.

Or did she? Maybe she had been stuck inside a fool's paradise for so long that she didn't realize it was all too good to be true.

But why? What was it that he could've been hiding? What was so horrible that it compromised the integrity of their entire relationship?

Spencer didn't want to push. She already knew that ignorance was bliss. What if Chanel knew a lot more about Toby than she was letting on?

Spencer sighed dismissively, turning onto her side. She realized suddenly that Chanel could've been making all of this up to drive Spencer away; she would finally have Toby—all alone and heartbroken—to herself. Spencer wasn't about to let that happen. She wouldn't dismiss this relationship without a solid fight.

Dismiss? Was it really coming to this? She wanted things to go back to the way they were. She wanted to have that same beautiful, perfect relationship she had with Toby in the beginning. She didn't want to give up on their relationship because she loved him, so, so much.

* * *

"That was your mom's ring, wasn't it?" Tiffany asked as Toby pulled up to her house.

Toby looked over at her as he put the car into park.

"How did you know?" he asked quietly.

Tiffany smiled at him, unsurprised by his naïveté. "I remember you telling me about it one day, a really long time ago, when you first inherited the ring…after she died," she explained, melancholy lacing her voice. "You read me the letter that she wrote with it, remember? That she wanted you to give it to that one girl who you wanted to love the rest of your life?" she reminded him.

He nodded, biting his lip and holding back tears as he thought of his mom.

"I know that your mom would've loved Spencer, Toby. You shouldn't be nervous. I'm sure she'll say yes," she added softly.

"You never even met my mom," he said with a small laugh.

"The greatest reflection off a person is their child, and you're amazing, so I'm sure she was, too."

She looked over at her house. The light in her living room shut off, and Tiffany decided that it was time to go inside. She turned back to Toby, kissing him on the cheek.

"Spencer will say yes. I know it. She's smart, and she'll see that rejecting you would be the biggest mistake she could ever make," Tiffany said to him before she exited the car.

Toby thought about this more, thinking about the ring again. This pending proposal was getting him more and more nervous by the second.

* * *

_Does anyone actually use the words "spilt", "smelt", "spoilt", or "spelt" anymore? Or have we gotten all American and lazy? I don't know._

_First off, I must apologize for this uneventful chapter, but next chapter is the conclusion of Part One, and I may need to take like a week to regroup (and update my Fabrastings story...it's been nearly a month). _

_I also wanted to ask you guys for input on my next idea for a project. Starting on Spoby's anniversary (November 6th), I'd like to start publishing these one-shots based on songs (which I have creatively called "Spoby Playlist"). The goal is to publish like two or three one-shots a week for a whole year, or until November 6th of 2014. It would be a full year of Spoby :) I know I already have a ton on my plate (with that project I keep mentioning to you guys, this fanfiction, Fabrastings, and school), but I am a prolific writer, and I write for about two hours or so every night, so I think it's achievable. We create our own limits and I'd like to be as limitless as possible :)_

**_AL3110: _**_Yup, I really like torturing you. I'm considering postponing chapter 13 until your birthday. It's a blessing and a curse. Curse: you have to wait over a week for my chapter where STUFF HAPPENS; blessing: It's your birthday present. Well, that could be a curse, too._

**_mickeymack16: _**_I had you fooled! And I have no nickname...I'm just Kayson...weep for the Kayson...and okay, I'll keep being sarcastic :) It's in my blood. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_YES, THEY ARE! You feels me on my addiction? I knew you would. And IKR? They're different ;P If it pacifies you, Andrew's not in the next chapter. But he's not gone yet. Next part is more about the Chanel Factor, but Part Three is Spandrew, big time ;) And Ninjas, FTW. And I don't really listen to male singers, but I guess I like Andrew Belle...Adam Levine (though I feel kind of weird answering him), Matty M, and even though I know he wasn't the best singer, I did really like Cory Monteith. :')_

**_BirdSingsBells: _**_I left a message on your profile (or someone else's...that's awkward). I'm the same username and picture on the wiki. I mostly blog on the wiki, though. I know, I'm a horrible contributor, but most of the time, by the time I go online, the pages are pretty much updated, so I can't really do anything. And Toby might flip a table..._

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Thanks._

**_Sunset13: _**_I have no idea. You reviewed me about Toby being A and dying or something like that...idk. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_Don't mention it. And have you listened to Marina yet? My friend and I are trying to make as many Diamonds as we can. If you haven't yet, I'd suggest Starring Role, but it does have a curse, so I hope you're okay with that. Hollywood is also good :) And my name is something I'm not that comfortable with revealing explicitly, but I have mentioned it before. It's not too personal, I'm just a little bit touchy about revealing it. Maybe one day if I'm famous, I'll tell everyone :) Ha ha, pipe dream. _

**_eveningshades1107: _**_Oh mah GOD, it's Sarah. Hey, Sarah. I'll be your fanfiction buddy. And I can't wait to read your story. I'm sure it'll be awesome. I just wanted to let you know. Okay, I'll stop being weird now. And it's totally okay. Sometimes, I'm the same about Toby. And what can I say? I'm a psychic, reading everyone's mind. And Mona Vanderjesus? I see what you did there ;)_

**_vondydora: _**_I'm really glad you liked the Jaria proposal! And I don't think she's using Andrew as her scapegoat. I think she's kind of conflicted and nervous about telling him, especially on his reaction (and the many ways Toby can break his face. I know it wasn't violent last story, but...Andrew just crossed a very solid line). Sorry, but I started Catching Fire again and am VERY excited for the movie. _

**_LynnLayne18: _**_No, stop. I reviewed about this. Stop. No, no, no. And no, things are not that simple. I know you all love #SpobySex, but...yeah, no. And it will be in the story. Part 3, first chapter :) Cassidy will be an adorable flower girl :) And that's an interesting theory. Very original, indeed..._

_By the way, if you want to thank anyone for stimulating my weird mind (or blame), blame Gin Wigmore or Marina Lambrini Diamandis. Especially the latter. She's the reason I'm so pessimistic and realistic as of recently (realistic...hmm...that was a joke). _

_So I would love to get 145 reviews (hint, hint, hint)! I also need some help with this imminent proposal stuff. Kay, bye! __**-Kayson**_


	14. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note: **Oh my god! It's the long awaited Chapter Thirteen! This is the one I've been stressing over! By the way, sorry for the wait, but I've been exhausted these last few days, and I have no idea why. I think it's that whole notion of not even having eight hours of sleep in my life that my dad was talking about. Oops. Bring on the coffee. And chocolate. Mmm. _

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Spencer sat up abruptly, startled by something in her mind. She looked over her shoulder to see Toby lying there, fast asleep. She touched his arm absentmindedly, smiling at his peaceful state as he slept.

She got up, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water. She looked around the room, thinking about how much things had changed over a few months.

She looked at the dining room table, thinking of the first time she had been over his apartment after they started dating, about a month into their relationship.

* * *

_Both of them were sitting at the dining room table in his apartment. Neither of them had said much since they had gotten to his apartment. Toby watched Spencer as she drew swirls on the table with her finger. He touched her wandering hand, making her shiver slightly at his touch. _

_"Toby?" she asked, her voice shaky._

_He looked at her expectantly as he took her hand._

_"What are you doing?"_

_He shrugged. "I just wanted to…touch you, I guess," he explained. _

_Something about that explanation made her grow a little weak. She kissed him softly on the lips and he continued to play with her hands._

* * *

Spencer walked over to the table, touching the spot where she was sitting. She looked over to the doorway. She recalled with a certain fondness another time that felt very significant in their relationship, which occurred around three months in.

* * *

_Spencer felt a little saddened as her lips finally had to part from his. She glanced over at the clock, which reminded her it was time to go. _

_"I hate that I have to leave so soon," she said as she glanced at the clock for the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes. _

_He nuzzled into her neck and she laughed. "Stop it!" she scolded through her laughter. _

_"I don't like you leaving any more than you do," he told her. He looked at her lovingly for a few seconds. "Will you come back later?" he pleaded. _

_Looking at him, she couldn't even fathom saying no. "Of course, I will. I'll come back after my classes are out," she promised him. _

_He smiled at her. "I love you," he blurted out. _

_Spencer looked at him in confusion, registering what he said. _

_A red color set into his cheeks. "Spencer, I'm sorry if—"_

_"I love you, too."_

_He looked at her, surprised. Spencer just smiled at him before kissing him once more and leaving the apartment._

* * *

Spencer smiled as she traced her fingers absentmindedly through the little indentations and notches in the doorpost. There were so many good memories here.

Good memories. Their relationship was beautiful. Why, again, was she falling for what Chanel was whispering in her ear?

She abandoned the glass of water on the counter, going back into the bedroom, curing up against Toby.

* * *

"Spencer is unsuspecting, right?" Tiffany asked as she placed the bouquet of tuberoses on the counter in the kitchen.

"She shouldn't be. She said she was meeting up with Aria," Toby replied.

Tiffany nodded as she moved the tuberoses to get a better view of them. "How exactly are you planning on asking her?" she inquired.

"I don't know yet. I want to make it a big romantic gesture that she'll really appreciate, but I don't want it to be too cheesy. How did Shane propose to you?" he asked, hoping for some inspiration.

"Don't do what Shane did for me. It was a nice attempt, but he almost killed me."

Toby furrowed his eyebrows. "Killed you? How?"

"He thought it would be really cute and unique if he put the ring in our dessert that night. I almost choked on it and there was chocolate cheesecake stuck in the little tiny crevices of the ring for like, a week," she explained.

He nodded. "Well, I'd like for her to survive the proposal, so I'm pretty sure I won't be doing something like that," he commented.

She nodded. "That's probably a good choice," she replied.

A minute later, Emily walked through the front door of the apartment, still wearing her apron from her part-time job at the cupcake shop. She tossed her keys down on the counter.

"So have you decided how you're going to pop the question?" Emily asked suddenly.

"Nice to see you, too, Em," Toby answered.

"He hasn't decided. I gave him my proposal horror story and he doesn't have any good ideas," Tiffany replied.

Emily nodded, looking around the apartment. "Where did the future Mrs. Cavanaugh go?" she asked, teasing Toby.

"She went to hang out with Aria and Cassidy," Toby answered, trying to conceal the blush Emily brought to his cheeks. Tiffany let out a muffled laugh at his discomfort.

"No, she didn't. I saw Aria with Cassidy in Rosewood Town. They weren't with Spencer," Emily explained, ignoring Tiffany.

"What?"

"Why would she lie about where she was going?" Tiffany asked.

* * *

Spencer took a sip of water as she let out an anxious sigh. She had only been waiting for five minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.

She finally heard a bag being tossed onto the booth across from her. She looked up and saw the dirty blonde whose words had been echoing in her mind for days.

"I have to admit, I was kind of surprised to hear from you, Spencer," she said, the words rolling off her perfect pink cupid-bow lips easily.

Spencer tried not to let her guard down too much around Chanel. "What you said made me pretty concerned."

"You still remember?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

Spencer felt the slightest bit of color rise to her cheeks. "Drunk or not, things you said gave me thoughts I won't forget," she insisted.

Chanel became a little tense. "Like what?" she inquired cautiously.

Spencer shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide how genuinely scared she was for the status of her relationship right then. "I just think it's really weird. One minute you tell him you love him, and the next you're trying to convince me of how unhealthy this relationship must be," she said.

Chanel sighed. "Spencer, I was dating Toby for a lot longer than you have. I think I know him a little better," she said.

"But you were never serious!" Spencer interjected.

"It was…more serious than I let on. I thought I told you. He wanted to propose to me," she said, a tone in her voice conveying that she was truly saddened he never got the chance to.

"You did. But you said you weren't serious enough in this relationship."

Chanel was silent. Spencer sat, waiting for a response.

Finally, her perfect lips parted to give a reply. "That may have been a lie."

Spencer knitted her eyebrows together. "What do you mean?" she inquired suspiciously.

Chanel bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "I may not have told you about how serious I was about Toby. I didn't see us as just a casual thing, like I told you and your friends."

Spencer waited for more. She wished she hadn't heard it when Chanel finally got out with it.

"I may have been trying to get pregnant."

* * *

Spencer walked in, feeling very dizzy from her meeting with Chanel. She made a beeline for the kitchen and immediately poured a glass of water for herself, taking it quickly. She felt very nauseous all of a sudden.

She hadn't even noticed whether or not anyone else was home. She didn't even take notice of whether or not Toby's keys were on the counter. She just gulped another glass of water.

A moment after she set the glass down in the sink, Toby walked out into the room. Spencer looked up and saw him.

"Hey. Are you okay? You look kind of out of it, Spence," he said, touching her hand.

She took her hand back quickly. "I'm fine," she answered shortly.

He looked at her for a moment before letting go of it. He shook his head, shaking it off. "So do you want to do something tonight?" he asked sweetly.

She sighed, thinking about it. Finally, she came up with a verdict. "I would love to."

He let out a small sigh of relief. He was counting on her to say yes.

* * *

"Tonight was great," Toby said as they walked back into their apartment.

She nodded in agreement. _It was almost too great. _

Before she could get too caught up in her thoughts, Spencer's phone rang. She dug into her bag, fishing out her phone and she saw a new message from Andrew.

Her stomach did a somersault as she thought about what he probably wanted.

Oh, God, she was about to be sick again.

"Toby?" she said, calling his attention.

"Yes?"

"Um…I'll be right back. Can you just give me a minute?" she asked.

He nodded with a small smile before pecking her on the lips. "Sure. But I'll be waiting," he told her playfully.

She let a small smile lay on her lips before she walked into their bedroom. She made her way into the closet, turning on the light. She dialed a number quickly on her phone.

"Listen to me. You need to back off. The answer is no. I'm not changing my mind, and you can't convince me otherwise. Stop calling, stop texting, and stop trying to be in my life anymore. I want nothing to do with you," she said fiercely into the phone before hanging up. She had had it with him. This secret was taking such a toll on her mentally.

* * *

After taking off her heels and letting her hair down, Spencer walked back into the room, where Toby was waiting for her. She took notice of the flowers sitting on the table.

"Were those always there?" she asked wearily.

"Yeah. You didn't notice them?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. My head has just been bothering me lately." _Understatement of the century. _

He nodded before taking her hands. "Spencer, we really need to talk about something."

There was a small knot of nervousness growing in her stomach. She felt sick to her stomach once more. "What is it?" she asked nervously.

He pushed some hair back behind her ear very carefully. "We need to talk about us. I had been thinking about asking you, but these last few weeks have really…solidified my ideas."

She raised an eyebrow in question. "Solidified?"

He nodded. "I just wanted to know…what are you doing for the rest of your life?" he asked.

Spencer furrowed her eyebrows.

Before she knew it, her boyfriend was down on one knee before her. Her mouth just hung open. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"So I wanted to know…will you marry me?" he asked.

A flood of emotions came to Spencer in that very instant. Did she say yes? Did she say no? Could she really say yes with this secret weighing heavy on her conscience? If she said no, would this be the end of things as they knew them?

And then, something else came. That same sickening, menacing feeling twisting in her stomach. She ran to the bathroom, before spilling out her guts.

The proverbial butterflies in the stomach had turned into birds, flapping their wings until the pressure turned out to be too much.

* * *

_Okay, I need to clarify something very quickly before I proceed in responding to reviewers. When Chanel says that she was trying to get pregnant, she was doing this WITHOUT Toby's knowledge and WITHOUT his consent. She was doing it sneakily. Like, have you ever heard of women who basically trick their boyfriends into getting them pregnant by sabotaging their own means of birth control, like not taking birth control pills and blah blah blah? Yeah, that was what Chanel was basically doing. Moving on. _

_You all hate me. I know it. This hate will only be further fueled when I tell you (right now) that I think I might need like a week to compose myself, because I have a lot to do. I have to update my other story, write for my other project and a bunch of school work and practice for orchestra and oh my, this already seems like a lot. _

**_mickeymack16: _**_Did everyone honestly think that Spoby would get engaged that simply? Lol, no. You're going to have to wait until I come back with Chapter Fourteen to find out. It's not that simple. Maybe one day, I'll be nice to you guys and give you a solid answer. Maybe. I make no promises. I've been screwed over too many times by the human race to be that nice. :) And the next part will be a lot of Jaria wedding planning. Does that appease you? I'm writing Chapter 15 now, and we're going dress shopping. _

**_eveningshades1107: _**_That small nagging voice in your head might just be right! But it might be wrong! So vague...anyway, I think Tiffany should honestly join the show. She could be like another comic relief...she would be, like, best friends with Emily and Hanna (and Toby, of course). She would be so cool. Start that campaign! And I really hope to do that year-long one-shot collection. So far, there are 191 songs (one-shots) in that collection, and I've written four so far (and I can tell you what they are: "How" by Maroon 5, "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada, "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston, and "Don't You Want Me?" by The Human League. Up next: "Red" by Taylor Swift). Unfortunately, I did as much Marina as I could, but there wasn't a lot to work with. I don't know if you know Marina like I do (since I'm kind of obsessed with her), but a lot of her songs have nothing to do with love, and they're really sick and twisted. I guess that's why I love her, but right now, I only have five songs by her on there, but I might add a few covers she did. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_YES, it was Hanna! Good job for figuring it out! It was supposed to be someone that everyone could recognize by y description of her, but it wasn't really a secret. It was just left vague on purpose. And it's not the same ring. Toby doesn't reuse rings. If you noticed, Chanel said she found a Tiffany box, and the ring Toby was planning on giving Spencer was in a red velvet box. One is new, store-bought, while the other is antique, and formerly Toby's mother's. And yes, oh, Tiffany. So oblivious. And oh my God, I cried more in that one hour of Glee than I ever have (and I ever want to again) in my life. The saddest was probably when Kurt, Kurt's dad, and Finn's mom were looking through all of his things. That was so sad. I also loved Santana and Rachel in that episode. And Mr. Schue. Him, too. And I know right! I remember being uncertain with whether or not I even wanted to continue with Begin Again, and now look at where I am! It's like...omg. _

**_AL3110: _**_I know I'm awful and wonderful. I think it's because I'm cute. And little. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_I've revealed what state I live in and what city, so like the last thing I have to cling onto is my name, but maybe one day, someone will put the pieces together and figure out my first name. And I hope you do read it, because I really like having you (and all my other readers) as readers! I hope to do it, and I think I will. _

**_all-those-pretty-lights-PLL: _**_Thank you so much! And when you say you read my first story, do you mean Begin Again or Forget Me Not?_

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Oh no! All these bad feelings! All these feels are just like GAH!_

**_LynnLayne18: _**_He was talking to Hanna (as Spobyforever259 noted). He was basically at the bank, showing her the ring (he kept it in a safety deposit box, since it's pretty valuable). And he'll be back sometime, continuing to creep you out, but I think that the person trying to interfere with Spoby the most in Part II is Chanel. But he'll get his time to shine. And Cassidy will be THE most precious little thing ever! _

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_I'm fangirling just thinking about it. _

_Also, before I go, I just wanted to know (because I'm really curious): what do you guys think I look like? I'm just wondering if my personality matches my appearance. That's weird. But...yeah. _

_So I'll update...when I get the chance. And I'd love 10 more reviews ;) **-Kayson**_


	15. Chapter 14

**_Author's Note: _**_You get the long-awaited answer! Oh my God!_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Spencer? Are you going to answer or not?"

After Toby had found her spilling out her guts, Spencer had returned to the kitchen in silence. She hadn't said a word since Toby had asked her, and that was making him very nervous.

"Toby—"

"Wait a second. Before you solidify this decision, I want you to know that you're not obligated to say yes, if you really don't want to do this," he said. He still knew it would kill him if she said no.

"Toby," she began again, "you are an amazing person, and I feel so lucky to have you in my life, especially as someone I can call mine." She reached out to take his hand. "And I want you to know that I love you. A lot. Too much, even."

He retracted his hand from her grip. "You don't have to sugar-coat it or feel obligated to stay, Spencer. I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry!" She took a moment to think of her next sentence. "I just don't feel ready for this again. Not yet. And I love you, and I want to get there someday, but not now. I don't want you to think that I love you any less, though," she assured him.

She examined him, but his face remained unwavering. She sighed and got up. "I think we just need some space, away from each other. I think I'll go stay with Hanna for a couple of days."

* * *

"I can't believe it. She said no," Caleb said quietly as he was hanging around Tiffany's house.

Tiffany, who was cutting up vegetables at the time, preparing for dinner with her husband, looked up, stabbing the big knife into the soft wooden cutting board. "She said what?" she asked, some anger present in her voice. "Where is she so I can go kill her?"

Caleb looked at Tiffany in surprise. She always knew the girl was a wild card, but didn't realize how volatile she could be. "I thought you and Spencer were friends."

"Yeah, but Toby is basically my brother with blue eyes that stands at six-one. Giant brother trumps friend every time," she explained.

Caleb shrugged. "I guess I see your point."

"Bros before hoes," she said before continuing to cut the vegetables.

"I would also agree with that, but Spencer isn't really a—"

"Could you stop being so politically correct, Shaggy, and just smile and nod?" she snapped comically before going back to chopping.

He put his hands up in surrender. "Don't shoot me, Tiff," he told her.

"I'm sorry, but I get very defensive over family. You know I'd be the same way over you, or Hanna, or Emily," she reminded him.

"Shane?" he asked, inquiring about her husband.

She shrugged. "He never gets involved in trivial stuff like this, but he can fend for himself. He's smart. I trust him to be a grown-up about these things," she said.

"So you're more protective over us than your spouse?" he asked.

She stopped cutting to look up and throw him a very sarcastic look. "No, Smart-Ass. I'm just saying, Shane is so far removed from this kind of drama that it doesn't really matter. There's no secret child of his, no shady ex-girlfriends, nothing of that sort," she said.

"I'm pretty sure you could take them if you needed to. The ex-girlfriends, I mean."

"Oh, if any of the ex-girlfriends got in our business like Chanel is doing with Toby…someone would need to bail me out of jail," she warned.

Caleb laughed. "I'll take note and make sure not to cross you."

"That's probably a good idea, Sketch."

* * *

"Hanna, I just feel really awful. What if this is the wrong thing to do?" Spencer inquired as she and Hanna sat down for some tea and coffee.

Hanna sighed as she put some sugar in her teacup. "Oh, Spencer…if you're so concerned, you should talk to Toby about this. I know he knows you care about him very much. If you really aren't ready to be engaged, you did the right thing by saying no. Just because you said no doesn't mean you have to leave," Hanna reminded Spencer.

Spencer bit her lip in nervousness, anyway. She took a sip of her coffee, and then put it down. "It just bothers me a little bit. I need to tell you something, Hanna, and you need to promise not to tell anyone. Really, all roads lead back to Toby. Don't tell Tiffany; she'll tell Toby. Aria will tell Jason, who'll tell Toby. You can either tell Toby or tell Caleb, who will tell Toby, anyway. And Emily will just go up to him and say it," she said.

"I swear, Spence. I won't tell anyone," she promised.

Spencer sighed. "I met up with Chanel the other day, before Toby asked me, and she told me something really important. It's making me feel really sick, not telling anyone about it." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Chanel told me that before Toby engaged to her and they broke it off, she was trying to get pregnant."

Hanna began choking on the tea in her mouth. "Pregnant? Chanel? I'm interested to see how their offspring would turn out…it's satanic spawn," she said. "You know, mixed with Toby's great genes," she added when Spencer shot her a poisonous look.

"I don't think Toby ever knew, but the very thought that his last potential-fiancé was doing something like that…added onto how horrible my last engagement went…it's all too much for me to deal with right now," Spencer explained.

Hanna nodded in agreement, turning to her tea. "All of that, in addition to the fact that as Aria's maid-of-honor, you have the pleasure of planning her wedding. You don't need a second one," Hanna reminded her.

Spencer pressed her palm against her forehead. "Shit," she cursed. "I totally forgot about that." She sighed. "I love Aria, but how much of a bridezilla do you think she'll end up being?"

Hanna shrugged. "I think it depends on what you're planning out. On certain things, I think she'll be worse than others. The photography, she'll be really picky and bitchy about. On stuff like the dress or music or whatever? I doubt she'll care. The bride-to-be might just request a string quartet at the ceremony, but other than that, I doubt she'll make a show of it all," Hanna told her.

Spencer nodded, hoping this would be a lot less painful than she anticipated it to be.

Hanna turned back to Spencer. "I know you said no, but did he show you the ring?"

Spencer shook her head. "He just asked me. I don't even know if he had a ring."

Hanna put her chin on her hands, sighing, though she knew that he did have a ring. "I'm sure it would've been beautiful," she said absentmindedly.

"I'm sure," Spencer said with melancholia filling her voice.

* * *

It had been such a long time since Toby had gone to a bar to forget. He had gone for leisure, for a beer, to meet someone there.

Never had he felt so hurt before that he felt no other means of coping than to just drink up and forget.

He supposed, at times like this, it wasn't completely crazy to wish you had never been in love in the first place. Those were dangerous thoughts. The fear they instilled in him were horrible. But they were still there in the recesses of his being.

He sighed as the alcohol began to take effect and he felt his head begin to pound like a hammer on a nail. The pain only increased as time went on.

It struck him, subconsciously, that people never really thought about what would happen if their sweetheart rejected their proposal. They were too busy thinking about the white picket-fence, the cats and dogs, the kids in their future. Never once did it go through a hopeful person's mind that they could be given a no.

He also supposed that this was because it rarely ever happened. In all the movies and books and TV shows, the girl always said yes. There was some sappy, cheesy, romantic proposal grown women would swoon over which the person in question could never even fathom reject. When had there ever been a movie where the guy gets rejected?

Maybe one or two. And he was pretty sure those were flops.

And what was supposed to happen to the couple after she said no? Were things supposed to be forgotten and resolved, then go back to the way things were? Was that even possible? He assumed that was the reason why so many couples broke up after a proposal gone wrong; it was simply too awkward for the relationship to continue.

But he didn't want to lose Spencer. Even in his inebriated state, he could tell how much he wanted to turn back time and take back that proposal.

"Hello," said a voice from behind him.

And even though he was getting very drunk, he could still remember that voice and all the horrible memories it stirred.

* * *

Spencer surfed through the channels on Hanna's TV. "I'm glad you paid the cable bill this month, Han," she said as Hanna took out some cookies from the cupboard.

Hanna sat on the couch beside Spencer as Spencer settled on reruns of _Friends. _"Caleb was nagging me about it. He told me for being totally on time with all of my bills this month, he would pimp out my phone. He did something that lets me make free calls to China."

Spencer raised her eyebrow. "Why would you need to call anyone in China?"

Hanna laughed. "Spence, who cares? It's freaking _China._ Do you know how much it would cost to be on the phone for like two seconds to someone in Seoul?" she asked.

Spencer examined Hanna. "I'm impressed that you've even heard of Seoul, but that's not in China," she said.

Hanna shrugged. "It's still cool. When I'm bored, I type in random Chinese numbers. People there get a lot more confused when I say random words in Spanish over the phone. What do they speak there again?"

"Cantonese or Mandarin," she answered.

Hanna nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened with you and Toby, but I'm honestly kind of glad that you're here," she confessed.

"Don't you have Caleb?" Spencer asked as she picked up a cookie.

Hanna smiled bittersweetly. "It's not the same as having you around. You're like a sister to me," she confessed.

Spencer smiled before the two girls gave each other a hug and turned back to the show they were watching.

* * *

"What do you want?" he asked coldly to the green-eyed snake before him.

The blonde crept slowly to her ex, who was obviously feeling very vulnerable. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," he responded with a slur. Even though his eyes were glazed over and cloudy from the alcohol, a clear sadness was depicted in his blue irises, the windows to his soul.

She sat down next to him anyway. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong between you and Spencer?" she asked, portraying sincerity.

He was very reluctant to believe it, however. "You don't really care. You don't have to pretend. You just want things to end badly between the both of us," he said venomously.

She sighed. "Just remember that I'm still here, Toby. When things don't work out—"

"_If _things don't work out," he amended.

"_When_ things don't work out," she continued, ignoring his interjection, "you need to know that I'll be here, just like I've been waiting to do for you. Just remember that, Toby. I've known you. I feel like I've known you for a long time. You've barely known Spencer a year. You've been dating for like eight months. How is she supposed to love you more than I will?"

"Because she knows how to love more than you do. You just know how to be loved."

* * *

_**spoby equals awesomeness: **__Thank you so much! And trust me, it is flawed, but I get the idea :)_

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Sorry to disappoint...well, if I was really sorry, I wouldn't have done it, and I might do it again, so I'm not revealing anything about future chapters just yet. You'll get disappointed again. _

**_eveningshades1107: _**_I am the Great Charlemagne. And that sixty percent of you would be right! And my darling, I AM an evil genius here. I think you've all understood how you, my dear sweet readers, are the victims of my capricious moods and incessant personality changes. And since I think I am the fates that be in this stories, I have to say EW, no I don't ship #TeamTanel or #TeamSpandrew. I think someone made up the tag #TeamAndranel, so I figured I might as well resurrect it from the dead...You didn't actually do as poorly as you think. I do have brown hair (but I am short) and yes, I am statistically average, as I have brown eyes. And I'm half-Caucasian, half-Latina, so I'm like a mix (but in essence, yes, white). And to entertain you with the specifics: I may or may not have Cupid's Bow (idk, it kind of looks like I have it, but I still don't know), no Widow's Peek, no freckles (come on, a brunette with freckles? Maybe if you guessed I was a redhead, but I've never met a freckled brunette), and if you had said two birthmarks on my face/head, you would've been right. I just have scar marks on my arms. _

**_LynnLayne18: _**_Yes, deeeeeep breaths, girl. breathe in, breathe out. No comment on Tanel...the one-shots collection will most likely be devoid of any Chanel, to your relief. And I had to look her up, but as far as celebrities go, I really don't look like any of them. I'd say we look more alike than most celebrities and I. _

**_bluebird10023: _**_Sorry I decided to be a bitch...maybe next time..._

**_Spobyforever259: _**_I've captured your feels! Ha ha, I win. I don't know what, but I win. And she didn't lock him out of the bathroom! I'm glad that my writing isn't that predictable. And apparently, you don't stink that much on guessing what I look like, because you kind of have my look down, spot-on. Congrats. You win an award in I don't know what...guessing what people online look like. And I decided not to torture you all, but rather crush your feels with this chapter. I'm such a sadist. Thank you, I know. _

**_spobettes: _**_Just doing my job...that is the job of the Kayson. _

**_AL3110: _**_Yeah, yeah, yeah...you're a crazy thing, too :P_

**_Sylviecake231: _**_*sing-songs* I can't tell you... *clears voice, assumes weird Jenna Marbles voice* And that, my friend, is what I wanted everyone to think, with the morning sickness bit. I don't know, is Spencer actually with child? I might play around with pregnancy this Part (hint, hint), and there is definitely going to be a pregnancy allusion, in some way, shape, or form. This could be a dream, real life, flashback..._

**_vondydora: _**_He might be rushing things a little bit. For your own reference, they've been dating (thus far) about eight or nine months (their relationship started right before the end of Begin Again; this story picks up seven months later, after Tiffany's wedding, and it's been about 6-8 weeks so far in the story). I think Toby sees things as better because he's just ignorant to the things going on with Spencer lately. He doesn't really know the extent of Spencer's harassment with Chanel and Andrew. He's kind of unaware, so things may be better in his mind than in hers. And I am short, I have a tan complexion (not very dark, but darker than most people of Caucasian heritage), short (like you said), and dark hair. The only thing you were wrong in was the length. It's pretty long. It's down to about my elbow. _

_So I was just wondering if anyone would be interested in ever meeting Tiffany's husband? I just feel like I've been mentioning him a lot, but we've never been formally introduced to him. Plus, I'd just love to see myself writing Tiffany and Shane's blissfully awkward, adorable banter (because I have a pretty good basis for what Shane is like). _

_And I think I'll update when I get like 165 reviews? I hope! And everyone, PLEASE keep an eye out for that one-shot collection! I've been working very hard on it, but you know how I have a lot on my plate. I'm still very excited for it. __**-Kayson**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note: **__So this is my birthday present to AL, and you can thank her for this chapter. Without it being her birthday, I probably wouldn't have updated until tomorrow. Of course, by the time she sees it, it will be November 1st near her...eh...I tried here, people! Kaysons do not get sentimental very easily!_

_Lies. _

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Spencer looked out of the window and into the rain. The heavy, melancholia and gray which colored the outdoors expressed her mood perfectly.

She sighed and turned back to the room. Things were the same as how she left them, but things were still very different.

There was no going back now.

She gulped as she looked around their apartment, some bittersweet memories returning to her quickly.

She looked around one final time, the only noise being the pounding of blood in her ears and the rain tapping loudly outside. She got a good look before she turned back into the bedroom.

* * *

Hanna examined her baby pink nails as she waited for other girls to arrive. Aria was meeting with the consultant in the changing room, so as of now, she was by herself. Tiffany, Emily, and Spencer should've been arriving sometime soon.

While she was sitting in the waiting room, she looked around, thinking of her beloved Spencer and Toby—Spoby, as she liked to call them. She looked around at the several dresses, thinking of the one Spencer might wear.

She was immediately drawn to this beautiful ivory-colored mermaid gown. It was covered in a simple lace. Hanna thought it would look gorgeous on Spencer, especially with the heavenly silky champagne cinching her waist and breaking up her long frame. Hanna could see Spencer walking down the aisle now.

Hanna frowned as she stepped away, pulling her fingers from the celestial fabric. It was a shame that nobody would ever see Spencer looking that beautiful.

Hanna knew Spencer, almost all too well. She knew that if Spencer wasn't ready to get married now, she likely never would be. She had known Spencer for such a long time. She was always one to play it safe. She didn't feel safe anymore.

And it was all because of that ass, Andrew.

Hanna scowled as she sat down on the couch. She wondered if Andrew ever realized just how selfish he was being right now. Not only had he _destroyed _Spencer's heart, _impregnated _her, but now he had the _audacity _to come back and ask for such a _selfish_, _rude,_ and _utterly disgusting _favor from her. It made Hanna's skin crawl. If she got the opportunity to see him now…she didn't know what she'd do, and that thought honestly scared her. In the end, she was Spencer's best friend, and nobody's feelings mattered any more than hers in this equation; her heart was the most valuable thing on the line.

At that moment, Hanna's reverie was broken, because in sauntered Tiffany, Emily, and Spencer.

"Where is the bride-to-be?" Tiffany asked.

"She's getting dressed now," Hanna answered flatly. Uncharacteristically, her voice was devoid of any indicator of her normally bubbly persona. This was picked up by Spencer and Emily, who didn't bring it up.

Across the waiting room, they could both hear a door open. Out walked Aria, who seemed to be blushing slightly. The girls looked at her expectantly. She was wearing a pure white dress with a sweetheart neckline, a purple ribbon with organza flowers on it, and the skirt was composed of tulle ruffles. It was pretty but…not really Aria.

"Do you like it?" Spencer asked her as Aria turned and looked in the mirror.

Aria gave a half smile as she thought it over. "It's really pretty but…it's not amazing. What do you think?"

"It doesn't look like you really love this dress," Tiffany said.

"Can you really see yourself getting married in this?" Emily asked.

Aria thought of it for a minute as she bit her lip. Finally, she shook her head. "No."

They waited for another ten minutes as Aria selected and got dressed in the next gown. This one was an all-lace cap-sleeved, A-line dress. Hanna frowned as soon as she saw it on Aria.

"This one makes you look frumpy and does _not _flatter," she commented immediately.

Tiffany made a face at this one, while Emily bit her lip. Aria had to agree with the general consensus.

It wasn't until Aria had left to try on the third dress that Spencer had finally opened up.

"I need to tell you guys something," Spencer began softly.

"Are you pregnant?" Tiffany asked, hoping to lighten the mood, though she knew that all three of them knew what Spencer was about to say. Suddenly, pregnancy didn't seem so undesirable.

Spencer gave a small laugh before shaking her head "no." She took a deep breath before she continued. "Toby proposed to me," she announced.

Hanna, Emily, and Tiffany feigned surprise as best as they could, with Tiffany and Hanna being generally more believable than Emily (Spencer had asked Hanna to act surprised, so none of the girls would feel as though she were keeping things from them).

"And I said no," she added.

Tiffany's heart dropped. It was one thing to hear about it from Caleb; it was an entirely different sensation hearing it from Spencer, herself. "Why?"

Spencer sighed. "I wish I could say why, but…all I know is it doesn't feel right. And I don't want to drag him into a one-sided marriage."

"But you guys are staying together, right?" Hanna inquired optimistically.

Spencer sighed once more. "I hope so. I moved back today, but…I haven't seen him since he asked me and I turned him down," she explained.

Emily opened her mouth to make a comment, but at that moment, Aria stepped out in the next dress. It was an open-back, sleeveless white dress with lace and a mermaid silhouette. This one was quite flattering. Hanna smiled as soon as she saw this one.

"This one is amazing, Aria," she commented.

Aria smiled. She turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She seemed to like it. Tiffany also thought that it was pretty. Emily smiled. Spencer, however, was indifferent.

"Spence?" Aria called out, searching for something from the stoic brunette behind her. "What do you make of this one?"

Spencer shrugged. "It's pretty but…it looks off on you. Like, it's nothing I ever pictured you wearing on your wedding day. And you don't like it. You're not driven to tears," she said.

"Spence!" Emily hissed.

"No, no. She's right. But what if I never find the right one?"

"Aria, Jason isn't going to care what you're wearing. You could wear a potato sack for a dress and he'd still find you gorgeous in that hideous piece of burlap," Hanna informed her, shuddering at the thought of the brown, drab fabric.

Aria let a small, enthusiastic smile cross her face. "Really?" she inquired sweetly.

Hanna nodded, pacifying her.

"I'm going to try on another dress, but I do like this one," Aria told them.

They all nodded, watching as Aria went off.

Emily finally turned to Spencer. "Please don't shut Toby out. I know it's hard to deal with something like this when you have so much going on, but he wants nothing more than to help you, Spencer," she reminded her.

Tiffany piped up. "Emily is right, Spence. Toby is a wonderful listener. He's not going to judge you because of what that asshole suggested you do. He'll defend you if Andrew ever comes back."

Spencer sighed. "It's not just that. It's just…I'm scared. I'm scared of marriage. I've finally gotten over my fear with love, but marriage? It's…harrowing to just think about. It always ends so badly," she explained.

"But it won't end badly, because Toby actually loves—"

She stopped mid-sentence upon seeing Aria walk out.

This next dress was it. It was _the one._

It was a strapless pearl-colored dress. It was a moderately full skirt. The neckline was embellished with beautiful silver detailing. The same detailing was on the hem of the dress, following even through the train. The whole look was pulled together by a matching silver sash, which sat right on Aria's waist.

Spencer bit her lip to keep from squealing as she saw Aria. She forgot about what they were just talking about, and focused all her envy on how beautiful Aria looked.

"This is it, Aria. I swear," Spencer announced.

Aria turned around and looked into the mirror. Even without the makeup and the hair and everything, she had to admit, the scene was like something out of a fairytale little girls dreamed about as soon as they could grasp the concept of a princess. Her consultant quickly went to go get an artificial bouquet of roses and a veil for Aria to try on.

"Now, that's a dress."

* * *

The girls were all sitting around, having lunch, when the topic of Toby came up again. More specifically, the marriage proposal which Aria was still not aware about.

"Are you nervous about seeing Toby?" Hanna asked as the girls' plates were being taken away.

"Why would she be nervous?" asked an aloof Aria.

Hanna looked at Spencer, willing her to tell Aria. Spencer sighed. She didn't want to have to go through this again. Still, she explained it. "Toby proposed to me. I turned him down. Can we stop talking about this?"

Aria's jaw hung open, but all four other girls decided it would be best if they all just did as Spencer wished and dropped it.

* * *

Spencer walked in the door, breathing in the scent of pine needles. Being the Christmas spirit that he was, Toby had gone out and gotten a Christmas tree recently. It still wasn't decorated, but its mere presence made Spencer smile. She was hoping to decorate it soon.

Spencer slipped into something more comfortable and made some tea with honey. She sat on the couch, watching TV absentmindedly until she heard the door open.

Her tea was practically drained, so it didn't matter when she placed the cup haphazardly on her lap. She turned to look at Toby.

"You're back," he said, not containing his smile.

She gave a slight smile and nodded. "I'm back," she repeated.

"So…does this mean…?" he began, not wanting to insinuate too much, for fear of making her run again.

"I want to make things work. But I'm not entirely sure I'll ever be ready to be that serious, Toby," she said gently.

No matter how softly, how quietly, how sweetly she said it, it would always break his heart into a thousand pieces. "So you never see anything more than us just being boyfriend and girlfriend?" he inquired.

She sighed. "Toby…I…I don't know. I just have so much going on right now with the wedding and Chanel and—"

"What about her?"

Spencer bit her lip. Toby caught onto her worry and sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her small frame and hoping to comfort her. "Spencer, has she talked to you recently?"

She didn't know how to respond. _Yes, and she wanted to carry your adorable, blue-eyed babies. _No, perhaps _Yes, and I'm pretty sure she'd like it very much if I dropped dead so she can claim you as hers, and maybe this time, she'll actually succeed in deceiving you and conceiving your adorable, blue-eyed babies. _

_Ugh, Spencer! What is with you and these Toby-Chanel babies? It's almost like you want it to happen. _

"Spencer?" Toby inquired, seeing that there was something clearly very off about her.

"I can't lie, she has, and she's told me a lot about your relationship, and it makes me uncomfortable. I know about you getting very close to proposing, and that, on top of my last failed engagement, and just my pragmatic, pessimistic view on love all equates to me not being ready to do this," Spencer explained.

Toby laughed, finding her in this frazzled state to be adorable. "Can you please just come here? I've missed you. And you know what? If that's all you ever want to be, I'm fine with it. I'll take as much of you as I can get. I can't imagine my life without Spencer anymore," he insisted.

Spencer smiled before kissing him on the lips.

* * *

_**HFrischmon: **__You really feel as though they've never been happy? For real, for real? That makes me kind of sad. And I believe you, it's just...I'm sad. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_And no, Chanel is not taking advantage of Toby just yet. Hanna is probably one of my favorite characters to write for because I feel as though she has a lot of naïveté and a lot of knowledge about things. I just see her as this perfect foil to Spencer, which I love so much. And Shane has actually never appeared in the story, he's just been mentioned. I mean, I suppose he was there during the wedding scene in the epilogue of Begin Again, but he hasn't been in a scene with only a few characters. And there are only a few days until I post the first one! The first one will be "Runaway" by Maroon 5. It's a nice song, the one-shot is written in Toby's POV, and I think it's okay. And like I've said many times, I love long reviews :)_

_**AL3110: **__:P Happy birthday, you. _

_**eveningshades1107: **__What do we call Tiffany and Caleb's friendship? They need an awesome friendship name and matching shirts. I'll get on it. And okay, I promise. I didn't do anything corrupt to Toby. Tempting, tempting, but I didn't. I decided to let you off this time, and I even gave you a cute Spoby scene there at the end (you know, unless I get accused of not being pro-Spoby again *cough* Amanda *cough*). _

_**Guest (Crazy Chick): **__*insert shocked reaction here*_

_**mickeymack16: **__Weeeeell...Spencer has some kind of strategy here. What exactly she's trying to accomplish by doing all of this, I'm not quite certain, but she's certainly trying here. And I love Toby. Don't you love him, too? He's such a loyal golden retriever puppy, sometimes. So cute. _

**_spoby equals awesomeness: _**_Well, I can't guarantee that the characters will be devoid of stupidity while they're here, but I will try to make things as painless as possible. Except for when I don't and I don't feel like it. :P_

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_I'm kind of amused by how much everyone hates Chanel. Like the song Primadonna, she really appeals to that side of me that most girls don't want to admit they have. But it's probably just me being weird again. Then again, I feel like Chanel and Primadonna have a lot in common..._

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_I don't know? This seems to be quite the golden question. Well, it seems like you have run into quite a debacle. _

_So, yay Chapter 15! I'd like reviews, reviews, reviews, but I feel like I've hit some kind of a writing rut which really makes me mad. It's like I'm not motivated to write anything! Not LAL, not my own Electra Heart series, not Fabrastings, and *gasp!* not even Spoby. This is HORRID. I just cannot deal with this. _

_So while I'm freaking out, have a nice night/morning/whatever time of day it is near you! __**-Kayson**_

_PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!_


	17. Chapter 16

_**Author's Note: **__It's me again! You know what happens on Wednesday? The beginning of my one-shot collection! I was thinking of including some of my own original songs, but I'm not sure. Still thinking about it. Still, like Marina, a lot of my songs about love are kind of sadistic and sardonic, but I don't know yet. _

_I'm also listening to ADoseofBuckley while writing this and am thoroughly entertained by his analysis of sucky songs, mainly wrap, which I don't really like either. You should listen to his podcasts. They're good and pretty interesting. _

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Hanna pulled out a purple gel pen as she began to jot down notes in Spencer's wedding planning book. The brunette in question was taking the day off from being the maid-of-honor to play not-housewife (or as Hanna liked to describe it, pacify her boyfriend for a day so the subject of marriage wouldn't come up again. That usually involved a lot of sweet talk, maybe some dirty talk, and maybe even sex. Hanna figured that Toby would probably just take the day with Spencer and be pleased. He was so sweet), which meant that Hanna was filling in.

She sat across from the bride, groom, and their daughter, while her own boyfriend was playing something on his phone. Hanna kicked him in order to get him to put away the phone.

"So, first thing's first; when have you decided you want to get married?" Hanna asked, readying her pen over the silky, creamy pages in the book.

Jason and Aria exchanged a glance before Aria answered. "We really want to get married on the twenty-fifth of May," she answered.

Hanna nodded. "May twenty-fifth. That's a nice summer—"

"It's the twenty-fifth of May, and it's still spring," Aria interrupted tersely.

Hanna had honestly never seen her friend get so worked up over a date, so she just nodded, continuing. "Okay, then. Um…have you had any thought as to where you'd like to have the wedding?"

"We're still not really sure. What do you think, Hanna?" she asked sweetly.

Hanna raised an eyebrow, as did Caleb, whose attention was now caught by the tension between the two women. "I don't know?" she said cautiously. "Isn't that something you and Jason should discuss?" she inquired.

Jason took Aria's hand. "I told her that it doesn't really matter to me. I'm fine with whatever she wants."

It took everything in Hanna's being not to swoon at Jason's sweetness (despite Aria's bitchiness). "Caleb, you should really take notes from Jason and Toby," she teased.

Caleb was about to formulate a smart-ass reply, but his girlfriend cut him off. "Okay, so we'll sidebar the venue for now. The next thing she wrote down…" Hanna's eyes scanned down the big checklist Spencer gave her. "How many people are you thinking of inviting?" she asked.

"We wanted to keep it pretty small. Friends and family, right?" Aria asked, looking over at Jason, who nodded in agreement.

"You guys are too cute," Hanna commented. Caleb rolled his eyes slightly. Luckily for him, Aria and Hanna never noticed.

* * *

Spencer took a calm sip of coffee and put it down as soon as she saw Toby walk up to her.

"Do you want to have breakfast together?"

Spencer nodded with a small smile crossing her face. "Sure."

Several minutes later, Spencer cleared her throat as she watched Toby prepare them both breakfast. "We need to talk about what you asked me before I left," she announced.

He sighed. "Spencer, we don't have to talk about it at all—"

"No, we do. I need you to understand that I'm not saying no because of you. I feel like you still don't get it. None of this has to do with you. It's all because of me, okay? I can't deal with being married on top of Chanel and Andrew—"

"What exactly about Andrew? You said it was your last engagement, but—"

"You're not convinced," she filled in for him. He just nodded. "I know. That's because it's not the truth."

He looked at her, puzzled.

"It's not the whole truth, anyway. I mean, our engagement does bother me, but he's been back recently…" Spencer began, trailing off.

Toby looked at Spencer expectantly. Hoping she'd finish her sentence. "What do you mean by 'he's been back recently?" he asked anxiously.

Spencer bit her lip. "I may or may not have seen him recently…about our son," she said.

"Is that all? He's been asking you about him?"

"Well…" she began, "there's more. He kind of…um…"

Toby stared at her as Spencer attempted to choke out the rest of it.

"He might've…asked me…um…" She looked up at Toby's pleading, curious eyes. She sighed turning away from him. "He asked me if I would have a baby with him."

Silence. It was dead silence, except for the sound of eggs sizzling in the frying pan.

Finally, he spoke. "So, let me get this straight: your ex-fiancé, who you found cheating on you, came into _this _apartment—_our _apartment—and asked you to have a child with him?" he questioned evenly, but Spencer could tell that his blood was boiling.

"Basically," she answered meekly. She observed him, trying to decide on how angry he was. "Toby, don't do something you're going to regret."

"But Spence—"

"Toby," she interrupted in a warning tone, "don't you dare confront him about this. I'm dealing with it."

"Then why are you so calm? Spencer, this is a really big deal. He's arrogant and an ass and…are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I mean, it fazed me, but once I got over the initial shock and told him off, it didn't really bother me. Except for when he continues to call me."

_Spencer!_

"He's still bothering you?" he demanded.

"Toby—"

"No, Spencer. This is serious. He's harassing you, and you're basically letting him get away with it. Why won't you do something or at least let me do something?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "Like that's a better idea. I let you do something and then I'll be charged for solicitation of murder," she said.

"You can at least go to the police," he suggested.

"And tell them what?" she demanded. "I don't think he's actually breaking any laws yet," she reminded him.

"Obscene phone calls are a misdemeanor, I think. You could at least get a restraining order," he suggested.

She looked up at him somewhat sadly. "Do you really think that if he's that determined to have a baby, a piece of paper is really going to keep him away?"

The thought of Spencer having another baby with Andrew made him sick. "You're not doing it, right?"

Spencer stared at him with her mouth agape. "Now it's my turn to ask you: are you out of your freaking mind? Why in the world would I want to have a baby with him?"

He shrugged meekly, looking down and away from her. "I don't know…I just thought…maybe you have baby fever or something."

"So I would ask you if you wanted to have a baby, not him," she replied.

He looked up at her, really happy with her answer. Soon, another thought crossed his mind. "Wait, you don't want a child right now, do you?"

She looked at him for a moment. "Yeah, I want kids. Like fifty. Right this second. I think maybe I should go rob an orphanage or something now," she answered sarcastically.

"I'd appreciate less of the sarcasm," he responded as he finished cooking their breakfast.

"I'm sorry, but it's just a Spencer-trait. I can't shake it. It's like second nature," she retorted with a smile.

* * *

"I don't know about you, but I am very worried about Spencer and Toby," Hanna said absentmindedly as she watched Aria shuffle through racks of bridesmaid dresses. Hanna thought they ranged from atrocious to hideous to downright repulsive.

Aria nodded. "I am, too. And poor Toby. I know Spence is going through a lot but she's pushing away the one person who would do anything in the world for her. She needs him. He needs her," she said.

"Poor Spencer! I know Toby is going through a lot, but God, is Spencer going through hell and back. She's getting harassed by her ex-boyfriend and her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend and now she has to plan your wedding."

Aria looked back at Hanna, her eyebrow raised.

"Bless your heart, Aria, but I already want to kill you and I've been filling in for Spencer for like two hours. She has to deal with you for another six months," she explained.

Aria accepted this. "I'm just worried that she's going to push him away to the point of no return. He's a golden retriever, but his loyalty will only go so far. And then, Spencer will be even more devastated. We have to get her to realize he's the only one who will help her out of this rut," she explained.

"This is just a phase; it'll pass, eventually," Hanna agreed.

"But we have to hope it'll pass before he leaves."

Hanna felt her stomach do a bit of a somersault before she turned back to what Aria was focusing on. "So what do you think you're going to put us in?"

Aria sighed. "Well, the detailing on my dress is silver, so I thought that the main colors in our wedding would be silver and navy. I'll be in silver and white. I want to find Cassidy a cute little navy flower girl dress with a silver bow or something like that. And then, for you girls, I want you all to be in navy dresses."

Hanna smiled. "Well, this is certainly my even. What kinds of dresses do you think you'll put us in?" she asked.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I was thinking about putting you all in different dresses, but the same color. I know how you find being in the same dress as someone else is a fashion faux pas, and I kind of hoped it would please you," she told Hanna.

The blonde nodded in approval. "I like it, Aria. You know, I think you're learning a thing or two from me. Are you going to let us pick out our own dresses, or are you going to basically pick them out for the four of us?" she asked.

"I think I'll give you guys guidelines and then I'll just give my stamp of approval," Aria said.

Hanna smiled. Okay, maybe Aria wasn't such a nightmare after all.

* * *

Spencer sat, watching the Leonardo DiCaprio version of _Romeo and Juliet._ She was cuddled in a blanket as she watched the iconic balcony scene.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East…and Juliet is the sun."

Spencer turned to see Toby standing behind her. "I didn't know you quoted Shakespeare to make girls swoon," she said, trying to ignore the color rising to her cheeks.

"Who said I was trying to make you swoon?" he teased. "I'm kidding; I am."

She shook her head. "Be still, my heart," she answered sarcastically.

"Do I have to recite the whole scene for you to be impressed?" he inquired.

She paused the movie, shifting her body so she was staring at him. "If you can quote even fifteen lines of Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_, I will do whatever you want me to do."

He looked at her, deciding whether or not to take this bet. "Okay, fine." He cleared his throat before proceeding:

"Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief

That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

Be not her maid since she is envious

Her vestal livery is but sick and green,

And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off.

It is my lady. O, it is my love!

O, that she knew she were!

She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?

Her eye discourses; I will answer it.

I am too bold. 'Tis not to me she speaks.

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

Having some business, do entreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

The brightness of the cheek would shame those stars

As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night.

See how she leans her cheek upon her hand.

O, that I were a glove upon that hand,

That I might touch that cheek."

Spencer was glad she was sitting, or she may have fainted as he placed his hand on her cheek.

"Ay me."

"O, speak again, bright angel," he added for good measure.

She nodded numbly, impressed that he quoted Romeo so effortlessly. "What do you want?"

He thought about it for a moment. There were so many things he'd love to force Spencer into doing for his own amusement, but there was one thing he really wanted right then and there.

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take."

Before she could question it, she felt his lips upon hers. It was a very chaste kiss.

"Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged," he whispered to her.

She blushed, playing along. "Then have my lips the sin that they have took," she responded.

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged!" She couldn't help but laugh at his dramatization. "Give me my sin again," he pleaded.

Obediently, she did as she was told. "You kiss by th' book," she said softly, quoting Juliet again.

"Would you like me to stop?" he asked, finally breaking character.

She was still before she shook her head. "Not at all."

She embraced him willingly, hearing his heartbeat. She had missed him so much, and was just happy to be back. She was hoping things would finally go back to the way they were.

* * *

_**Spobyforever259: **__I'm saying that Toby and Spencer are not in the clear from Tiffany just yet. And trust me, the dress is GORGEOUS. I know. It's beautiful :) And I know! Ugh! I just can't...I don't know how to flaw him! I just...I don't know what's wrong with him! It's a real problem. I just don't know. My "Runaway" one-shot is still something I like. The end of the story is kind of weird, but I think the readers will be happy. And I think I just got deeper into my rut. This is horrible. _

**_HFrischmon: _**_Well, I don't know if I ever told my readers of this series my friend Julien's theory, but if at the middle of a story is really dramatic and depressing, the end will be happy. If the middle is all happy and perfect and everything, the end will suck. So you're welcome. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Well, they never really broke up, but yeah, they're happier now. _

**_AL3110: _**_Thank you, AL. That makes me feel SO awesome. _

**_all-those-pretty-lights-PLL: _**_Good. I got you, baby. _

**_mickeymack16: _**_Toby is a bit smarter and less naïve about these things, compared to Spencer, at least. _

**_Sylviecake231: _**_I'm thinking about how the Jaria wedding will go, and I think it'll be cute. I mean, something very significant happened at Tiffany's wedding, so I think it's safe to say that something interesting will happen with Spoby at Jaria's wedding. And you, missy, NEEDS to update Forever in the Form of 15 Years. Come on! I'm dying here! Don't leave us hanging! Please? Please? I'll do just about anything. _

**_vondydora: _**_I think you're wrong here, but I'm not surprised, since I really haven't touched much upon it. Trust me, things will probably pick up. They'll resolve things. _

_I don't know what to say anymore. I kind of feel like this story is starting to drag, but that's just me, and I have like no self-esteem. This is a real issue._

_Okay, okay, okay, I'd like to get 10 reviews since I feel like I'm kind of missing readers, which makes me pretty sad. So I don't care if you have the worst review ever for me, please review or something. _

_So look for my new story on Wednesday (AKA, the Spobyversary!). __**-Kayson**_


	18. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note: **__MERRICK FTW! Sorry, just had to get that out there..._

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Spencer touched the soft sheets enveloping her and her boyfriend gingerly. She looked over her shoulder at him, to find he was still sleeping sweetly. Whispers of a smile played on her lips. She pecked him on the cheek, waking him up.

"Spence? What are you doing up so early?" he asked, his voice half an octave lower and raspy due to him being only half-awake.

"Early? It's already nine," she commented, glancing briefly at the clock.

"I don't wake up until ten on the weekends," he replied.

She scoffed. "Well, excuse me for wanting to go out with my very sexy boyfriend for breakfast before noon."

"You want to go out?" he asked.

"Or stay in—it really doesn't matter. I just want to eat breakfast with you," she said.

He sighed after he glanced at the clock. "Give me fifteen minutes to take a shower and stop sleep-walking."

She smiled in victory.

* * *

Chanel stared at the box of memories before her. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

She let out a shaky breath as she recalled all of the memories. On the top was a sweatshirt she had kept from him. She held it close to her as some kind of calming act. She proceeded to sift through old memories.

The next thing near the top of the contents was a framed photo of the two of them, which one of their friends likely took. All of her friends would usually comment on them being such a good looking couple. While she didn't disagree, she was certain which one of them was more attractive.

Setting that aside, she went on in the box, taking out a black journal. Well, it wasn't just a journal. It also had a calendar in it. She recalled telling him several times that she was going to a friend's place when she was really heading to the OB/GYN, who would give her tips on how to increase her fertility. She wrote down all the tips, the dietary suggestions, and the things to avoid in that book, along with marking the days where she was at peak fertility.

She put it aside. She also pulled out cards and letters from him. All of them were sweet and probably completely cheesy, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Thinking about it more, this was probably what she missed the most about him, and this was what she wanted back. She wanted back that hopeless romantic.

Unfortunately, it had been too little too late. His heart had already been claimed by someone else. She knew it was wrong, but she felt betrayed. He wanted to _marry _her. Spend the rest of his _life _with her. Now, he was ready to take such a leap of faith with someone else?

The more she thought of his new girlfriend, the more her blood boiled. She knew that this new girl had never done anything to her, except prevent her relationship with Toby. But jealousy bubbled within her. She wanted whatever it was Toby so lusted for in Spencer.

What kind of name was that, anyway? _Spencer. _It was a guy's name.

Chanel tugged at her dirty blonde hair, holding her head in her hands. Her head began to pound the more and more she thought of them, so happy together.

What even possessed her to say no, anyway? She had been so stupid! He was wrapped around her finger; he was hers right then and there. She had the perfect opportunity and she blew it.

Now it was all over.

Her thoughts brightened as she remembered. There would always be a special place for Chanel in Toby's heart. She was certain of that.

* * *

Spencer poured herself a glass of water when the phone went off. When she saw who was calling, she was very mad Toby wasn't home.

"What do you want?" she answered venomously. She knew if she didn't answer, he wouldn't stop calling.

"Hey, Spencer!" he began eagerly.

"You can cut the crap, Andrew. What do you want?" she repeated.

He sighed. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"About your proposal? No, thank you."

She was about to hang up before Andrew cut her off. "Wait, Spencer! Please don't. I'm not going to talk to you about…what I asked you before."

She didn't hang up, but she didn't speak for a moment. "I'm listening," she said finally.

"I just want to talk. And I want to apologize, too. Can we meet up somewhere?"

She crossed her arms. She wondered whether she should talk things out with him and let him apologize. Then again, she knew if she said no, he would probably harangue her to no end. It was probably better to get this over with now.

"Well, when do you want to meet?" she asked.

* * *

Spencer spotted him sitting by himself. She reluctantly and cautiously made his way toward Andrew, who was sitting solemnly, waiting for her. She sighed as she sat down across from him. She wasn't here to play games.

"You were really vague on the phone; what exactly did you want to talk about?"

"I kind of wanted to talk about you and me."

Spencer tensed at that immediately. She wasn't really prepared or expecting to talk about this. "What about you and me?" she asked cautiously.

"How we broke up…why we broke up," he said.

"We broke up because you were cheating on me, with dozens of different women," she answered belligerently.

He sighed. "Alcoholism?"

She looked at him with surprise. "Alcoholism? Are you trying to tell me you're an alcoholic?"

He shrugged. "Not exactly. I mean, you know I had a problem with alcohol."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, I saw a therapist and I haven't had a drink in a while. I don't know if you noticed it, but I tried not to drink when you were around," he said weakly.

"It didn't keep you from drinking altogether," she countered.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know." He ran his hands through his hair. "What am I supposed to do, Spence? I just know anything I try to tell you will be in vain, anyway. You found someone else. I can't take back the things I did to hurt you."

She was silent for a moment, her expression unchanging. "No, you can't. Out of everyone in my life, you're the person who hurt me the most, because I trusted you and I was ready to take a vow to be faithful to you forever and you couldn't even hold out for one night. Out of all the disappointments in my life, you were the biggest."

After silence between the two of them, she let out a shaky breath. "But for some reason, I'm going to accept what I think is an apology here. You've…changed. Grown up, I think."

He nodded. "You leaving really made me think. How did you find out anyway?"

In the moment, Spencer realized that Andrew wasn't there when she discovered he was cheating. In fact, the last time she saw him prior to when they spoke about their son was when they went on their date in Paris. Spencer had found out while he was running something along the lines of an errand.

"I found a girl in your room, wearing next to nothing. I figured that you don't hide business partners in your suite, especially half-naked. I just…threw the ring and got out of there as soon as I could. I left while I knew you'd still be in Paris because…I didn't want to see you. Especially not when I found out…about…about…" she said, beginning to stutter on her words.

"When did you take a test?" he asked quietly.

"While we were in Paris. Right after I found out, actually." She wiped away a runaway tear. "I went to the store to find out for myself. It kind of just solidified what I already knew, which was that I wanted to leave."

He looked more crestfallen than he had in the entire conversation. "You were sure?"

She nodded. "I know that usually makes most people want to stay but—"

"—you're not like most people."

She looked at him in surprise. She nodded. "Yeah. I just knew that I didn't want to be with you, even with the baby. I needed to leave, so I just took my things and was…gone," she explained quietly.

"I still don't get why you left like that. It was like you were never there. You gave me nothing to remember you by."

"Maybe I didn't want to be remembered," she snapped back, anger rising in her voice. "Why did you need to remember me, anyway? You could've turned any of those whores into your wife, so why did you choose me?" she asked bitterly.

"Because there was something special about you," he said.

"It's all a freaking ploy, Andrew!" she exclaimed. "It's a ploy," she repeated. "All you're doing is trying to make me believe this bullshit reason why I'm so special. I'm not. I'm just a girl you met in college who you tolerated and your parents liked, whose parents liked you. You decided it would look great on your profile that you have an Ivy League graduate wife who comes from a wealthy family, so I was fit for the job. That's what happened. You don't have to pretend anymore. Stop pretending."

Before he could get a chance to stop her, she was halfway out the door.

* * *

This was it.

This was the moment she had been anxiously awaiting for so long. She had been doing everything in her power for this: eating all the right things, countless ovulation tests, making _him_ do the right things, and all for this.

She tore away the brown paper bag, reading the instructions carefully.

After preparing the test, she sat, nervously waiting. It was the longest three minutes ever, but it really allowed her to think.

She had been disappointed before. Several times, actually. Still, she wanted this so much. She wanted a baby. Even though she was a bit anxious about becoming a mother, she still wanted this more than anything.

He would be happy, right?

Yes, she was sure he'd be happy. He was just that kind of person. He'd be a great father; she just knew it. And this baby would be so loved.

She rubbed her stomach, willing for there to be a baby there. Maybe, just maybe she'd get lucky this time. Maybe things would finally go right.

The timer went off, and she anxiously picked up the home pregnancy test.

As she stared at it, she felt tears swelling in her eyes. After so many attempts, she had finally gotten her one wish. She was pregnant, and they would finally be this happy little family she always dreamt about.

* * *

_For obvious reasons, I didn't make the last section italicized, even though it may just be in the past. I can't disclose. I knew if I did/didn't italicize, it would be kind of obvious as to who the girl in question is (and that's my secret for now). _

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_It's okay! Just drop a review when you can! I get it with school (well, I don't study so...not really), but I kind of get where you're coming from. There are kids in my class who study for hours on end. But anyway, thank you!_

**_HFrischmon: _**_I've been reading Romeo and Juliet (and I'm really pissed because I lost it) and the balcony scene was just like...Romeo...you're an idiot, but you're still really cute. And I thought, Hmm, Toby is kind of like Romeo, but he actually means these things; he's not just blindly saying it to woo a girl he thinks he's in love with after dating her for like two hours. Some people think 8 months is too short to propose to someone...Romeo basically did it after 2 hours, so...who's crazy now? And that's a good question. I plan on making 33 chapters+an epilogue. It'll be slightly longer than its predecessor. _

**_mrs-cavanaugh: _**_Well, you won't get it just yet, but I plan on making the wedding chapter super-duper fluffy. Like, fluffier than a bunny. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Thanks!_

**_Spobyforever259: _**_I adore Hanna and I love writing for her. I just think that even though she seems to be a simpleton, she's actually very complex when you think about it. She definitely has a lot of emotions and feelings that you can't see her clearly articulate. Regardless, I think she's very loyal and actually quite clever, when it comes down to it. I also kind of empathize with Hanna in many, many ways, so there's that. There's no real significance with May 25th. I just happen to like May and 25 (plus, it's two months after my birthday, so it seems kind of solid?) It also gives me time for stuff after the conclusion of Part II. You'll see. Just trust me on this :) And no, I don't blame you for being more excited. I think that things will pick up soon. _

**_AL3110: _**_Heh, we already discussed this. My jokes are hilarious (kind of). _

**_spobettes: _**_It'll be like the Toby/Andrew confrontation 2.0: new and improved. Let's see how this all works out. _

**_eveningshades1107: _**_The Jaria wedding will be so cute. I can't wait to write it! That's why I'm hoping to get out of this rut soon and just...get to Part III already so I can write a super-fluffy chapter. And now that you mention babysitting...I would love to see one of my (dream) OT3s babysitting: Hanna, Toby, and Spencer (dream because...well, we've never seen them in a scene together. My headcanon is that Spoby and Haleb are all cutesy and stuff, doing double dates and fluffy, cute things like that, since Spanna is awesome, Toby and Caleb are like brochacos, and Spaleb is also amazing). That would be amusing. _

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_I don't think you've seen the end of jealous Toby. I think he'll be making a reappearance sometime in the future. I think. Don't quote me on it. _

_Okay, so I need some of your super awesome magic right now. Last time I asked you guys to post #MerrickFTW, we placed first in SAC Day. Tomorrow, we're doing our House Volleyball Tournament semi-finals, and both of our teams made it to the semi-finals. We're up against Partington 1 and Stettinius 2, and we are going to win! Today, we went undefeated. He house that thinks they're the shiznit is now in dead last, so I feel pretty confident in saying they're not going to win this year (no matter how hard they try, we're at least 100 house points ahead of them). _

_So what I'm asking you, dear, kind readers, is to tag your post with #MerrickFTW to give us some extra team spirit! I will be cheering tomorrow for my house and it would sure feel awesome (since my contribution to my team is not playing and simply cheering since I royally suck at volleyball). _

_I would also love to get 10 more (so 192, I believe) reviews before I update! Also, I have posted my one-shot collection. It is called "Spoby One-Shot Collection" (because I'm just that original). Please check it out when you get the chance! __**-Kayson**_


	19. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note: **__Don't talk to me. Kayson is very mad right now. She is so mad that she is referring to herself in the third person like a psychopath. She is likely not going to stop because her brain is not working right and the simple act of looking at a computer screen is hurting her brain. You should all be damn thankful that she is writing this right now because she does not feel like dealing with the world today. She's very Irgitated. _

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

"You know what's funny? I feel like you know everything about my relationship with Andrew, yet I know next to nothing about your relationship with Chanel," Spencer said absentmindedly.

Toby contemplated whether or not he should address that comment, probably opening up a can of worms, or simply ignore it. "I didn't think it really mattered."

"Well…it kind of does. I mean, she was your last serious relationship, right?" she asked.

He looked at her, this time with more concern. "Spencer…my relationship with her happened a while ago. We dated when I was twenty-one, five years ago. She's insignificant in my life." He got up, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. "You're important, much more important than she was and she ever will be. You are my life," he insisted as he burrowed his head into her neck.

Absentmindedly, he began rubbing her left ring finger. Spencer noticed and immediately felt guilty.

* * *

Tiffany watched Hanna paint her nails a baby blue color. Just as she finished, Hanna began to blow on them, hoping to speed up the process of drying.

"So where is everyone else?"

Hanna shrugged. "Where's your husband? I feel like I've seen him five times since you've gotten married," she joked.

Tiffany picked at her nail. "He's working," she responded.

Hanna nodded. "Caleb should be coming soon. I have no idea when Em is coming, but she'll probably be here soon, too. I think Jason and Aria said they were taking Cassidy to see Aria's parents. Spencer and Toby will hopefully be here soon, too," she explained.

"I'm kind of nervous about Spencer and Toby. It's like fate hates them," Tiffany said.

"I know. But…they love each other. They should be okay. I'm just glad they could work things out after Toby proposed to her and she said no," Hanna replied optimistically.

Tiffany nodded in agreement.

There was some awkward silence before Hanna spoke. "So where are we ordering from?"

Tiffany shrugged. "Where do you want to order from? I'm sure the others will be fine with whatever," she said.

Hanna thought for a minute. "Sushi?"

Tiffany bit her lip. "Actually, can we get something else? I don't really feel like sushi tonight," she explained.

Hanna looked at her strangely before nodding. "Do you want to order Chinese?" she suggested.

* * *

Spencer and Toby sat outside Tiffany and Shane's house for a few minutes. There were a few moments of awkward silence.

"I need to tell you something, Spence," he said, breaking the first bout of silence.

She looked at him expectantly.

"I need to go to New York City next weekend to take this architecture test."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Why do you have to go all the way to New York City?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea, but that's what I was told. I need to get my architecture license so I can finally work on my own."

"Have you been working with a partner this whole time and I've just been completely oblivious?" she asked, half-joking.

"No, but I'm working under someone else's name," he explained.

"Is that even legal?"

He nodded. "But now I'll finally be able to work independently. That is, if I can pass this test," he explained.

Spencer smiled. "I'm sure you will, Toby. You're smart and I'm sure you'll pass," she insisted as she touched his hand.

He let out a small laugh. "Well, I'm no Spencer, but I think I stand a good chance."

* * *

Caleb and Emily brought in the Chinese food, setting the large bags down on the counter. Tiffany and Hanna piped up when they saw the two of them.

"Do you think we got enough for the six of us?" Tiffany asked.

"Six?" Caleb inquired.

Hanna nodded. "Yeah, six. Spencer and Toby are coming. I thought I told you," she said.

Caleb scoffed. "Yeah, like you ever tell me anything."

Hanna rolled her eyes before continuing to help Emily and Tiffany take out all the food and put it on the counter.

A minute later, there was a knock at the door, and Tiffany immediately ran to get it, finding the lovebirds in question there. She let them in, smiling when she led them back to the group. Hanna had opened a bottle of red wine to go with the food. She pulled out six glasses, before Tiffany piped up.

"Oh, Hanna? I'm not drinking tonight," she announced.

Hanna raised an eyebrow. Someone not drinking? That's odd.

"Yeah, you can put away another glass, too. I'm not drinking, either," Spencer said before she let go of Toby's hand to join the group.

Hanna found this oddly suspicious, but didn't waste time in pouring wine for the rest of them before taking a swig of her own glass.

"You guys just ordered everything, didn't you?" Toby asked as he looked at the whole counter full of food. Emily had already filled a plate and was looking for a pair of chopsticks in the bag.

Five minutes later, everyone was seated around the island, eating. Caleb was attempting to show Hanna how to use the chopsticks, but eventually, Hanna just got sick of it and ended up stabbing her pieces of meat with the sticks, trying to just pick them up and put them in her mouth. Caleb gave up with trying to help her.

Mindless chatter ensued between mostly everyone, but Tiffany remained oddly silent.

Finally, someone picked up on this.

"Tiff? Are you okay?" Emily asked.

Tiffany nodded before straightening up. "I actually have something that I sort of wanted to tell everyone," she said. Everyone looked at her expectantly. "I'm pregnant," she said after a moment of excruciating silence.

There were mixed reactions. Immediately, Hanna and Spencer were really happy and excited for her, while Caleb and Emily were a bit calmer about things. Toby took the longest to wrap his head around it. He supposed that since he was like a brother to her, it was weird to even consider anybody impregnating her (since he knew how babies came about).

He pushed the odd feelings aside and congratulated her.

Tiffany suddenly felt a lot better. She hated having to keep it from her friends, even if only for a short time.

She looked from Toby to Hanna, then over to Spencer. She didn't miss Spencer taking Toby's hand after she made her announcement.

Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows. She also didn't miss the meaningful look Spencer gave him shortly after her announcement.

Wait a minute!

Was there something here that everyone else was missing?

* * *

Hanna and Caleb had stuck around to help Tiffany clean up after Spencer, Toby, and Emily had left.

Hanna and Tiffany were washing the dishes as Caleb had gone to take out the garbage.

"How many months are you?" Hanna asked as she washed the last glass and handed it to Tiffany.

Tiffany, still contemplating Spencer and Toby's odd behavior from earlier, wasn't really paying attention. "Oh, um…two months, I think. I've known for like a week," she mumbled as she continued to dry the dishes.

Hanna noticed the odd behavior in her friend. "Are you okay, Tiff? You seem a bit off. Is this just pregnancy hormones?" she asked, half-joking.

Tiffany bit her lip before putting the glass down. "I don't know, maybe it was just me…was Spencer acting weird to you tonight?"

Hanna turned off the water, not really facing Tiffany. "A little bit, I guess. But you know she's going through a lot. With Andrew being an asshole and Chanel being a bitch, I can't really blame her. Maybe she's just dealing with the stress of all that crap and planning Aria's wedding on top of it all."

She thought about it a bit longer. "I guess you're right, Hanna. But I'm kind of worried about her. And Toby, too. I'm always worried about him."

Hanna turned around to look at Tiffany as she put the rag where it originally was. "Why are you so worried about him?" she asked cautiously.

Tiffany shrugged, crossing her arms. "Just because he's like a brother to me. And you know…he's Toby. Sometimes he's too sweet for his own good. You know, he's one of those people who believes everyone is good on the inside. He's a big believer in forgiveness; he doesn't realize that sometimes, there's no hope," she said absentmindedly.

Hanna squinted her blue eyes, trying to figure out what Tiffany was trying to say. "Was there something hidden in that?" she asked.

"No. I'm just worried about him sometimes."

* * *

Spencer walked into their apartment first. She turned around to see Toby there. She stopped in the kitchen, hoping to question him more about this trip that he neglected to tell her about.

"So when are you going, exactly?" she asked.

"Next weekend."

She nodded. "And you staying late and working extra hours? That was you studying, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "Among other things. Planning the proposal."

Pang. Another dose of poison to her heart. "Toby, I—"

"If you're going to apologize again, you don't have to. We already talked about this," he said before beginning to make his way to their bedroom.

"No, but we didn't really talk about it. You dismissed it. I don't want to feel like I'm rejecting you. I love you so much. But I'm not ready," she said.

"I know that. You've said it, and I understand. I don't blame you and I shouldn't have rushed into things so quickly." He paused before looking her over once more and speaking again. "Maybe this distance is what we need right now."

"We already had distance!" she exclaimed, not really yelling at anybody in particular, but wanting to get her frustration out. "Please. I don't like it. I miss you. I just wish things could go back to the way they were," she pleaded.

"But they can't go back now. We need to learn to move forward," he said before going into their bedroom.

"But we can't move forward until we deal with this. We can't just push it aside. I hate this. I feel like when we make up, we're not really making up," she said with a pout.

He sighed. "Why is that, Spencer?"

She opened her mouth, a small noise coming out. She just sighed for an answer. "I think you may be right; I'm overreacting," she mumbled.

It seemed she was the only one who realized that wasn't the truth.

* * *

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_Do you know what I'm addicted to? Orange juice. Cheesecake. Chocolate. Cookies. Mocha. Whipped cream. I can't have any of this and it makes me really depressed. I can't eat anything delicious anymore and it makes me really sad. I love you. _

**_eveningshades1107: _**_I'm praying to Vanderjesus that pizza is made a vegetable because I cannot deal with this crap anymore. I'm also praying to Vanderjesus that somebody will find a way to let you eat everything you want without gaining weight, because that would be cool. And I was thinking of Coco Chanel, kind of like Cocoa Puffs, kind of like cuckoo for cocoa puffs, so we could call her cuckoo Chanel. Did you know that processed foods reduce sperm count? Maybe Chanel was making him lay off all of that crap so she could get preggers. I don't know. I've thought about it. If she did get preggers (which we know she didn't now), it must've been awesome because she had an excuse to eat everything. Flipping amazing. Does an Ezbian have anything to do with a Thespian and does a Thespian have anything to do with chocolate cheesecake and where can I get that because I want it NOW. And yes, that is the moral of the chapter, just like the moral of my life is that we can't have nice things because they just get taken away from us. Forget all of this. _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_You know why I'm freaking out? SUGAR WITHDRAWAL AND THE TERMINATION OF MY LIFE. That's my problem. But we somehow managed to get over yours. Be happy, okay! I can't be... *crying* _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_I'm not okay, either..._

**_AL3110: _**_Here comes AL, being the smart-ass she is..._

**_Guest: _**_They will, but as for me...I'm toast. Actually, I'm not. I wish I could have toast. And gummi bears. And cinnamon buns. And chocolate. And fro yo, but it's not happening. You got your wish. All I want for Christmukkah is pizza and bagels and pizza bagels and every kind of dessert under the sun. Especially French chocolate crème pie. Thank you very much, Love. _

**_Guest: _**_Thank you. I am in love with Marina and the Diamonds, French fries, and probably Swoozie. _

**_Guest (Spoby shipper): _**_Cliffies. Fun. Cliff bars. Not fun. They remind me why I needed to start eating them in the first place. _

**_Guest (Thankful reader): _**_I will cry rivers of happiness if I miraculously loose a ton of weight and am able to eat whatever I want without someone thinking I'm a lard or something. That'll make me happy. But you got your wish. Congrats. _

**_LynnLayne18_**_: No, you have not reviewed, just like I have not eaten anything delicious. Thank you for trusting me, but I do not trust myself with any good, unhealthy food. Chanel reminds me of chocolate, so let's please not discuss her. _

**_bluebird10023: _**_I make no promises since I cannot train my eyes to focus on the screen without a massive headache and I still need to finish Chapter 19. I'll try to upload again before I go to London, but no promises. _

**_cupcakecat2000: _**_Damn, your username reminds me of how addicting and how much I wish I could have a cupcake right now..._

_I promise, I'm not a part of the foodinati or something like that. I know I made food references to all of my replies, but I have low-blood sugar and I cannot eat any sugar anymore. Well, I can't eat any extra sugar, which means I have to eat healthy stuff. Tonight's dinner was some kind of chicken with spaghetti squash and salad. Damn salad. Do you feel me? I don't like green stuff. It makes me feel stabby. _

_Before any of you mock me, I am having a hard time even writing this God-forsaken thing you're looking at right now, so you should all be damn thankful...I just didn't want to leave you guys hanging..._

_I don't care how many reviews I get. I'd like to see at least 200, but damn it, I don't care anymore...nothing matters except for yummy, delicious food I can no longer stuff my face with. WAH. __**-Low-Blood Sugar Kayson**_


	20. Chapter 19

_**Author's Note: **__I promise, I have a good explanation for not updating! Well...really, I don't sign a contract that says I need to update x amount of times per week/month/whatever, so I don't really owe you guys an explanation, but I feel like I do. Here we go. _

_Sunday, I have no Wi-Fi because my mom's house doesn't have it because her router is really derpy. Monday, I was at my mom's house in the morning, then I had to do homework, then I had to go to my music lesson (which was fun anyway, because my teacher is a doll), then I had to get food that I actually can it (and contrary to previous belief, there are a lot of things you can eat with 6g of sugar, I just wasn't looking in the right places. Then I had to do more homework (ugh, damn my chronic procrastination). Then, Tuesday, I was planning to update, but my mom came to my dad's house early, so I only got the chance to update my one-shot collection. And here I am on Wednesday, begging for your forgiveness. It seems that you guys have Kayson-withdrawals just as I have been having sugar withdrawals. I guess we're just like a bunch of peas in a giant pod. _

_:D_

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

"So did you decide on roses or lilies?" Spencer asked as she walked through the florist with Aria.

"I think I like the lilies," she said.

"Spencer! You're avoiding the question! Why are you acting so weird?" Hanna called as they walked through the labyrinth of refrigerated display cases.

Spencer looked at the displays of lilies. "I don't know what you're talking about, Han," she said dismissively as she looked at some lily-of-the-valleys.

Hanna huffed. She turned to the petite brunette. "You see it, don't you?"

Aria opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Hanna rolled her eyes and continued. "You're acting as though you're totally fine, but whenever I try to ask you how you are or how Toby is, you get all cagey and change the subject."

"I can actually agree with her on this one; Hanna has a point. You've been acting strange, Spence," Aria said.

Spencer didn't say anything as she looked at the different flowers. "There's nothing to say. He should be coming back on Tuesday, hopefully with good news on getting his architecture license. We need to talk when he gets home," she said as she looked at the calla lilies.

Aria pouted. "Spencer, don't you dare break up with him. You two are supposed to be walking down the aisle together! Hanna will go with Caleb, Tiffany is with her husband, and Emily is with my brother. Come on, this was perfect!"

"Aria, Hanna, you can all relax; I'm not breaking up with Toby. I'm trying to fix this. I really can't see us breaking up anytime soon…" she began, trailing off.

Hanna raised an eyebrow. Was there truth in what Tiffany had speculated?

"Are you trying to convince us or yourself?" she asked boldly.

Spencer spun around to face Hanna. "I don't have to convince anybody; I know what's true and what's not." She sighed as she looked at the flowers. "Aria, I'm going to need a solid decision on these flowers as soon as possible," she said.

Hanna groaned dramatically from behind Aria.

* * *

Spencer thought as she drank her tea and kept sorting through wedding details she had for Aria.

Of course, she couldn't concentrate because of the thoughts pressing in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about how she and Toby couldn't seem to really resolve anything anymore. They were just ignoring their problems and it wasn't working.

She tried to go over Aria's guest list for the fifth time when she finally put her pen down. She glanced over at the friendly-looking Christmas tree, recalling how she had watched Toby decorate most of it, with her supervising and giving aesthetic advice.

It now served as an uneasy reminder that the holidays were coming soon and that they were nowhere near resolving their differences.

She sighed as she looked back at the long list of names.

* * *

Tiffany put her hand protectively over her stomach, rubbing it slightly. She watched as Emily's expression changed when she looked at the ultrasound.

"Wow," Emily uttered. "How far along are you?"

Tiffany shrugged. "Ten weeks? I think. The doctor isn't totally certain, but that's what we all think."

"I guess Cassidy is going to be getting a playmate soon," Emily said before handing her back the ultrasound.

Tiffany smiled slightly. "I guess so," she repeated.

Emily couldn't help but notice that there was something off about her today. "Are you alright, Tiffany?"

She sighed. "No, not really. I'm just really nervous about…everything. And just really aggravated," she added.

"You should try not to be. It can't be good for you or the baby."

Tiffany scoffed. "You sound like my mother, Emily. The baby and I will be fine. But I'm serious. I'm nervous about my friends and just being a mom. I'm aggravated with Chanel."

Emily furrowed her eyebrows. "Chanel…?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you, Em? Bitch crazy. You and I are both Toby's best friends; you know how either of us would do anything for him. I don't know if you realize how crazy and obsessive Chanel actually is, but I see it as a growing problem that's going to drive a wedge between the two of them," she said.

"I don't think it'll grow into a huge problem—"

"I think it already is a problem. And if Chanel drives a wedge in between Spencer and Toby, I'm going to drive a wedge up her—"

"Tiffany! Even if you're right, what are we supposed to do?"

Tiffany shrugged as she thought it over.

* * *

He couldn't sleep and he wasn't sure why.

He tossed and turned in bed, trying to think about the possible reasons he was so miserable.

In hindsight, it was stupid to leave things so unresolved with Spencer. But really, what was he supposed to do? He pretended that everything was alright between them, but in reality, it was hard to be around her after she rejected him. The more she reassured him that she simply wasn't ready to be married again, the more he felt as though she was overcompensating for something.

And he still felt kind of guilty for never telling her about Chanel in the first place. He led her to believe he hadn't had a serious relationship when they first met, which wasn't true (as his history with Chanel was solid proof).

He sighed, sitting up. After glancing out the window of his hotel room, he got up and went out into the balcony. The cold, early-December air was freezing on his bare skin.

He stared at the lights for the millionth time that day. Before, he didn't think much of them. Now, as he was confronted by the several million lights, the only things illuminating the night sky, he was faced with the same realization he had had several months ago. He thought of the only thing that could challenge these lights in their brightness.

Spencer.

He could feel them falling apart, like it was out of their control. He knew how much he loved her. He knew she loved him, too. But…they couldn't prevent the inevitable.

At this point, it was pretty much inevitable that this ended horribly. He knew.

It made him sad. He didn't know how to fix it. Everything seemed broken beyond repair.

Suddenly, he realized how at fault he was. Sure, he didn't have to take all the blame, but he was as responsible for all of this as she, if not _more. _Spencer had told him that she was the one who always ran. Here he was—how cowardly—standing in another state, while she had stayed for him. He was just _running _from his problems. Not courageous enough to _face _them.

He sighed, sliding down the façade of the building and sitting on the cold stone floor of the balcony. He looked out. There seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. If it was, he was facing it now.

This was it.

* * *

"Cassidy, Mommy is going to try on a dress right now. You're going to stay out here with Auntie Spencer, okay?" Aria said to the small eleven month-old girl who was sucking on her fingers. Even though she knew the little girl couldn't understand her, she felt a strange obligation to some explanation.

"You know she can't understand you, right?" Hanna asked from beside them.

Aria frowned. "I know, but…okay, I'm going."

The petite brunette disappeared behind some gray curtains to change. Hanna sighed as she absentmindedly flipped through some bridal magazines.

"Have you spoken to Toby?" she asked cautiously.

Spencer shook her head before a soft "no" escaped her lips.

Hanna would've delved further, but she could sense Spencer's vulnerability and discomfort with the whole situation. She just let it be.

Luckily, Aria came out mere moments later in her wedding dress. Both girls smiled as soon as they saw her. Despite it fitting incorrectly, she still looked beautiful in it.

The seamstress came quickly to take note of the alterations that needed to be done to the dress. Meanwhile, Aria trained her eyes on her daughter.

"Do you like the dress, Cassidy? Do you think Daddy will like it?" she inquired, anxiety hidden in her voice.

"You don't actually think that she understands you, do you?" Hanna asked again.

"I'm sure she loves it and that Jason will love it, too," Spencer said, answering for Cassidy and ignoring Hanna.

Hanna scoffed. "Jason won't care what you're wearing. He loves you, and once guys love you, it doesn't matter what you wear." She thought for a minute before her lips curled into a smirk. "Eventually, they just want to take it off of you."

"Cassidy!" Aria exclaimed, reminding Hanna of the little girl sitting right beside her.

"She doesn't understand me. And one day, she'll find out," Hanna answered as she looked over at Cassidy.

Aria looked down at the seamstress, who was getting up from adjusting the train. She gave her a cue, which meant that Aria could change out of the dress.

"Way to be appropriate, Hanna," Spencer commented sarcastically.

"What? I'm just telling the truth. Isn't that how you've always known me? This is just how I am around you guys."

Cassidy reached out for Hanna. Hanna quickly picked her up.

"Besides, I love being an aunt. I'm not like Aria and Tiffany; I'm not ready for kids just yet. I'm going to spoil my Clementine as much as I can," she answered while hugging Cassidy for good measure.

Spencer nodded as she thought about it.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay to be alone tonight?" Hanna asked as she stood next to the door.

Spencer nodded. "Toby said that he's coming home tonight," she answered.

"I thought you said you hadn't spoken to him," Hanna said, confused.

"He texted me," Spencer answered evenly.

Hanna nodded slowly and skeptically before she left.

Spencer sighed as she made her way to the couch. She wasn't a huge TV-addict, but she did have favorite shows.

As she flipped through On Demand, she allowed her thoughts to roam, which was not exactly the wisest thing. Different TV shows triggered different thoughts, some worse than others.

A few TV shows later, she heard her phone ringing on the island. She already knew who it was. She let it ring, not thinking much of it. She burrowed herself deeper into the covers as she selected some murder show. The feeling of dread she got as she watched the show seemed normal by now.

About half an hour later, she heard keys in the door, attempting to open it. She was buried so deep under the covers that she wasn't concerned about anybody really seeing that she was awake.

She heard footsteps make their way into their bedroom. They got closer again, stopping a fair distance away from her, before turning around again and walking back into the bedroom.

She sighed, but decided to stay there. At least her relationship with the couch wasn't in shambles.

* * *

**_Addictedtospoby: _**_You basically just compiled a list of stuff I love and can no longer eat. Well, except for the gum. My dad is addicted to Starbucks. And this is going to sound really racist (I apologize in advance, but I assure you that I'm not racist): are you white? I'm sorry, but I'm going to tell you a little story. Gather 'round, kiddies, Kayson has a story. Ahem, so I was planning on seeing that play I decided not to be in last weekend, and I asked my friend Julien (you remember Julien) when he was going to I could possibly see him again. He said he was going on Friday with a bunch of kids from his acting class, since Julien and like four people who go to my school (and were in this musical) are also in it. There was a really awkward situation with me and kid-who-shall-not-be-named and another girl in their acting class that I don't really want to delve into. Anyway, so I felt like I was unaccepted with them, especially because one day, Julien just called me and was like, "You started a major controversy among the people here at TTT." I'm like "WHAT?" and he just hangs up. Way to leave me hanging, Jules. Blah, blah, blah, flash-forward to now. So, I'm like, "Do you really think your friends will mind if I hang out with you?" or whatever Derpy Kayson asked him that night. He's like, "Yeah." I'm like (jokingly), "I guess I'm probably not that accepted among them," and he answered, "Well, you're probably right." OH, BURN. Like, really, what did I ever do to any of them. Yadda, yadda, that was the backstory (sorry, this is getting really long and winded). I'm talking to my friend about this whole thing, and my Asian friend is just like, "It's because you're not like them, Kayson. You're not white." Dafuq you taking about? As I have mentioned before, I am half-white (Russian and Irish) and half-Mexican. My Asian friend then goes on to say: "You're not white, Kayson. You don't wear hipster glasses and listen to crap music and go to Starbucks like everyday." Hmm... Well, this basically started the theory that white people go to Starbucks. I guess since I'm half-white, I prefer Starbucks to something like Dunkin' Donuts or someplace else, but I wouldn't say that I go there very often (unless I'm schlepped there by my dad...ooh, the Yiddish is coming out of me. This is when I start acting like a JAP). That was a really long tangent. Forgive me. *deep breaths, Kayson* I am attempting to write my first book outside of fanfiction. To be honest, I have the beginnings of 15 novels on my computer (I counted) and a lot of fanfictions based off of something of my own creation (so it's like a fanfiction of myself...he, he). I'm actually really proud of my fanfiction off of my own work. There's this series I came up with the concept for which I am REALLY excited about. It's kind of like a companion to Marina and the Diamonds' albums, but based off of my work. Maybe one day, you'll see ;) By the way, my friend Julien thinks you're cool. _

**_Girlz-Rule: _**_Umm...?_

**_SpobyTreegan: _**_No, all is unwell, but...what?_

**_spobettes: _**_I...I don't...I...huh?_

**_eveningshades1107: _**_I am feeling much better now, thank you. I'm not going to lie: it's still hard thinking about all the food I really can't eat anymore, along with seeing people eat the food I can't eat anymore. Sometimes, when I didn't have time to have breakfast in the morning, I'd get a bagel and orange juice at school, but now I can't do that. I also really miss my OJ, probably more than everything else, just because I used to love it so much and drink it every day. But wow, I'm sorry about your dad and your condition! I hope everything's alright and you're getting the right treatment. I know that it can be really heartbreaking to some women when they find out they're infertile (not that I'd really know...I'm 14, so I'm definitely not thinking about getting pregnant at this stage of my life). And...Part II ends with Chapter Twenty-Three. *nudge* Ezra (or should I say Ezbian) DOES act like a lesbian! Wow. #TheMoreYouRealize _

**_Spobyforever259: _**_Thank you, so much. it actually has gotten a bit better as of recently. It still kind of hurts when I see really skinny people who don't seem to give a damn about what they eat eating my favorite foods, but I'll be okay. I'm just glad that I went to see a nutritionist and am being treated PROPERLY and not doing anything rash. I used to have BED (Binge Eat Disorder), which was pretty bad, and I actually have contemplated bulimia before (but thankfully, I have no gag reflexes, so it didn't quite work). But I'm just saying it because I know this girl (who is, by the way, a healthy weight and is very active, so there's no real reason for her to be stressing about what she eats) who is harming herself so much. She's eating only like 500 calories every day. Most people live on a 2,000 kcal diet, so what she's going is actually quite unhealthy, especially considering how active she is. I try to tell her every time that it's unhealthy, but she doesn't listen! Anyway, thank you again for the support. _

**_Guest: _**_Thank you very much! I am already shipping Cassidy and Tiffany's baby, regardless of whether I decide to make them a boy or a girl. I don't care. Whatevs. #IShipDat And maybe we'll eventually see Spoby babies...maybe. _

**_HFrischmon: _**_I actually never really noticed that, but I guess you're right. Everything really does go around in circles (even my brain). _

**_mickeymack16: _**_I FEELS YOU on the homework and the studying bit. Oh, my God, I had so many things this week. Tuesday: Spanish test (it was mad easy, then again, I am Mexican, so...) Wednesday: Shakespeare test (and we were supposed to have a History test). Thursday: Latin test, English quiz. Friday: Health test, Math quiz, and History test (it got moved to Friday). I also have a Shakespeare project due on Friday WHICH I didn't even start, SO I'm a little tight. Oops. It's writing, and I write a minimum of like 6 pages every night, just for fun: this should be a piece of cake. So don't worry about it, I totally get it. School is horrible. That is the moral of the story. _

**_cupcakecat2000: _**_Uh, not exactly the same thing, but thanks...I guess..._

**_vondydora: _**_I understand. I've heard that college is a huge stresser. Do you mind if I use your idea for next chapter? Too late, I already did. But yes, you actually picked up on something I failed to do myself. I don't know if people realize this, but I don't quite plan things out to happen. I'm not as smart as you guys seem to think I am. I just do stuff on coincidence and it works. _

**_Prettylittleliars-spoby: _**_I understand your idea, but at the same time, what kind of story would this be if there wasn't ay drama to it? That's what makes it so interesting! I love the conflict. _

**_bluebird10023: _**_ON IT. _

_You guys as a majority left me kind of flustered. I thought I kind of clearly put the mystery to rest here about the pregnant girl from the last chapter: it's Tiffany. I'm a little bit flustered that you guys (and so many of you) didn't realize that it was Tiffany since I thought I made it kind of obvious. Then again, you may have thought Spencer was pregnant because of her little mood swings or...whatever it was that I gave her in these last few chapters. _

_I also kind of wanted to ask you guys if you'd like to meet Shane (AKA, Tiffany's husband, who we know next to nothing about). If you don't, sucks to suck because he's in the next chapter. You are all finally meeting him. Congrats. _

_And do any of you guys ever use that expression: sucks to suck? Or is that just a SIP-y thing to do? #Curious. __**-Kayson, the SIP, JAP**_


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